Jared Leto's Joker kisses Margot Robbie then hits her in new on-set Suicide Squad pictures

By STEFAN KYRIAZIS
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FIRST LOOK at Jared Leto in action as The Joker in David Ayer's Suicide Squad as he shoots a scene kissing and fighting with Margot Robbie, aka Harley Quinn.

After weeks of teasers and instagram posts, we finally get to see Jared Leto unleashed as The Joker.

Dressed in a shiny burgundy suit and sporting vivid green hair, a white face and blacked-out eyes with the character's distictive red-slashed mouth, the actor looks every bit the maniac supervillain.

The latest pictures show the Oscar-winner shooting a scene with his beautiful Aussie co-star, Margot Robbie. Robbie plays Dr Harleen Quinzel who will later change her name (slightly) and become the wicked Harley Quinn. The pictures appear to show a flash-back of an early encounter between the two characters.

In the scene, The Joker roars up in a red sports car with the number plates 'HAHAHA' and pulls Robbie’s fresh-faced character in for a kiss. In the comic book canon, Quinzel’s obsession with The Joker fuels her transformation into the vampish Quinn.

There are already clear foreshadowings of the troubles ahead when a trucker pulls out a crowbar and Quinzel shoots him before turning the gun on The Joker. In the ensuing fight, The Joker strikes her and sends her flying to the ground.

Suicide Squad also stars Will Smith as Deadshot and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. Director David Ayer’s film features a motley crew of famous comic book villains who perform secret missions for the US government in return for shortened prison time.

 Suicide Squad will be released on August 5, 2016.  

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Lilly Pulitzer for Target Causes Shopping Frenzy

By Emanuella Grinberg, CNN.
re-post by current world news.

(CNN)Floral pastel dresses and beach coverups flew off the racks at Target stores Sunday morning as eager shoppers snatched up pieces from the retailer's limited edition Lilly Pulitzer collection.

The highly anticipated 250-item collection featured Lilly Pulitzer's bold and bright designs at discounted prices. The Target version of Lilly Pulitzer's signature sleeveless, collarless dress was available for $38, while Lilly Pulitzer dresses generally go for around $180 at other stores.

Target's Lilly Pulitzer bikinis are priced at $48 for the top and bottom, compared to $136 for the two pieces. Lines started forming as early as 5 a.m. outside Target stores across the country for the colorful collection, which went on sale Sunday.

 Pictures on social media showed lines extending into parking lots. Other images showed racks completely emptied of inventory within minutes of doors opening. The situation was not much better for online shoppers, who started visiting the site at midnight to try to snag a piece from the 250-item collection.

Many found the site was down; others complained of being unable to add items to their carts or that by the time they made it to checkout, the items were no longer unavailable Target issued periodic updates and apologies on Twitter throughout Sunday morning.

The last update from Target, around 7 a.m. ET, thanked shoppers for their patience and said the site was up and running. By then, shoppers complained that nearly everything was sold out. Target often teams up with high-end designers to create limited edition fashion lines.

The collections, from designers such as Alexander McQueen, Prabal Gurung (a favorite of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge), and Jason Wu (who designed one of Michelle Obama's inaugural gowns), tend to create lots of buzz and sell out within hours.

CNN's Katie Lobosco contributed to this report.
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Red Sox

NEW YORK (AP) — This was no ordinary defeat. Not after 7 hours of back-and-forth baseball against your biggest rival.

In the latest classic matchup of their long and illustrious history, the Boston Red Sox finally outlasted the New York Yankees 6-5 in 19 innings early Saturday when the game-ending double play was turned at 2:13 a.m.

"It feels worse than one loss, but thank goodness it's only one," Brett Gardner said.

Chase Headley and Mark Teixeira, who turned 35 when the clock struck midnight, hit tying home runs for the Yankees during an early-season epic delayed 16 minutes by a power outage in the 12th. That's why the official time of game was 6 hours, 49 minutes — even though it took more than 7 hours to complete.

After squandering leads in the ninth, 16th and 18th, Boston at last went ahead for good on a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts. Xander Bogaerts scored the decisive run after reaching on his fourth hit in extra innings.

The teams get little chance to rest following the first of 19 meetings this year. They're back at it for the middle game of the series Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

"It's one game that seemed like about six, and we'll move on," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

David Ortiz hit a solo homer for Boston to break a 3-all deadlock in the 16th. But then Teixeira, batting from the right side against right-handed knuckleballer Steven Wright, led off the bottom half with a no-doubt drive to left field.

And on it went before a few thousand scattered fans left from the crowd of 41,292.

Pablo Sandoval put the Red Sox back in front with an RBI single in the 18th only to see Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran hit doubles in the bottom half to tie it again at 5.

Each club went to its last reliever in the 15th during the longest game by time in Red Sox history — and second-longest for the Yankees. They had a 22-inning victory at Detroit that took 7 hours in 1962.

It was the longest game by innings for New York since a 19-inning win over Minnesota in August 1976.

"It was just a wonderful game. I wish we would have won, but it was a great game," Headley said.

The longest game by innings between the old rivals was a 20-inning victory for Boston in the second game of a 1967 doubleheader.

Headley's solo shot off fill-in closer Edward Mujica came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Neither team could break through again until Ortiz launched an 0-2 pitch from Esmil Rogers (0-1) to right-center.

Didi Gregorius had a chance to win it for New York in the 16th and 18th, but grounded out with a runner at third to end both innings.

Boston got five innings of relief from Wright (1-0) in a game that featured 17 pitchers who combined to throw 628 pitches.

The Red Sox stranded 20 runners, but came through one last time in the 19th.

Bogaerts singled, stole second and went to third on a passed ball by backup catcher John Ryan Murphy, who had just replaced McCann. Betts delivered a sac fly to center.

It appeared New York might rally yet again in the bottom half when Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single. Gardner flied out, and Garrett Jones hit a low liner toward the middle. Bogaerts short-hopped the ball at shortstop and flipped to second, where Dustin Pedroia leaped in the air for an athletic relay to first.

"That's a heck of a play, to be able to pull that off at 2:30 in the morning," Wright said.

Girardi said Jones, a first baseman and DH who came off the bench in the 11th for his Yankees debut, would have pitched the 20th.

Rogers, who threw 81 pitches after making 35 the previous night, said he would have pushed to stay in the game.

The lights dimmed as Boston reliever Tommy Layne threw the first pitch in the bottom of the 12th to Beltran. Fans groaned and umpires huddled with both managers before going underneath the stands to get information.

It appeared nine or 10 banks of lights went out, many of them behind home plate. After both teams left the field to boos, the lights came back on and play resumed.

The Yankees said they believe there was a power surge throughout the building. The team turned on additional light banks that are normally off above the foul poles as electricians rebooted the bulbs that went dark.

One of several newcomers to the rivalry, Sandoval also had an RBI single for the Red Sox his first time up. And for the first time in two decades, Derek Jeter wasn't a member of the Yankees when they took on Boston.

"The game doesn't wait for anyone," Red Sox manager John Farrell said beforehand. "We're looking forward to the next chapter."

SEEN THAT BEFORE

It was Ortiz's first home run of the year and 50th against the Yankees, including playoff games.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Alex Rodriguez batted third for New York. He hit an RBI single and a double, and struck out three times.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: McCann was shaken up in the ninth when a foul ball hit the top of his right kneecap, but he remained in the game for another nine innings.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: RHP Joe Kelly (strained biceps) will come off the DL to start Saturday afternoon.

Yankees: RHP Adam Warren, primarily a reliever the last two seasons, is scheduled to make his fourth major league start after winning the final rotation spot during spring training.

More stunning news can be read here

International Women's Day 2015

In 2015, International Women’s Day, celebrated globally on 8 March, will highlight the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments 20 years ago that sets the agenda for realizing women’s rights. While there have been many achievements since then, many serious gaps remain.

This is the time to uphold women’s achievements, recognize challenges, and focus greater attention on women’s rights and gender equality to mobilize all people to do their part. The Beijing Platform for Action focuses on 12 critical areas of concern, and envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination.

To this end, the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is the clarion call of UN Women’s Beijing+20 campaign “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!” Join governments and activists across the world in commemorating the ground-breaking Conference of 1995. We celebrate the many achievements that have come since then and galvanize action to address the gaps that still remain in making gender equality a reality.

- See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day#sthash.iyib7vXJ.dpuf

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Samsung Galaxy S6: Cool Curves, Lightning-Fast Camera

All the leaks had pointed to a unique phone with a curved screen on both sides of the device, and that’s exactly what Samsung delivered on Sunday when it launched the new Galaxy S6 smartphone and its curvier cousin, the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Samsung has a lot riding on this latest pair of devices, which hit shelves on April 10.

It needs to revive flagging sales in the midst of greater competition than ever from Apple and Chinese smartphone makers on the low-cost end like Xiaomi and Huawei. The curved screen puts Samsung on the cutting edge of new form factors, but the obligatory upgrade in specs is also impressive, including faster processing speeds, quicker battery charging and a super-fast, high-resolution camera.

Ultimately the question is whether that will all be enough to attract consumers in the midst of some other potentially negative tradeoffs. Primarily: Samsung Galaxy fans love the fact that its phones allow you to pop out the battery and also insert a microSD card.

Yet the S6 got rid of both these features.

Samsung executives actually addressed this on stage at Sunday’s launch event, arguing that the battery life of the S6 was so good now, that owners wouldn’t even have to worry about replacing it. Still, the u-turn might drive some Samsung faithful away.

The battery for both phones lasts for up to 12 hours on Wi-Fi and charges “faster than any other smartphone in the industry,” Samsung CEO JK Shin said. It takes 10 minutes to charge the S6 to get four hours of battery life, he claimed. To get to 100%, it takes the S6 roughly half the time of the iPhone 6 to charge.

Now for those curves. It’s unclear at this point if Samsung is releasing an API that will allow third-party developers to create apps that utilize the curved sides of the screen, but bear in the mind that the curves themselves are subtle.

They don’t play that same second-screen role as that of the Galaxy Note Edge. They’re more gentle slopes than clearly-defined, rounded edges.

Yet they can still come in handy with a couple of features that Samsung has pre-installed on the Edge. There’s a feature called Quick Contacts, that allows you to swipe in a column for contacts shaded in various colors on the curved side of the screen.

In addition, when the phone is lying flat on its screen, the color of that contact will glow when they call, so you can know who it is without having to pick up the phone.

Fundamentally though, the curves still seem like more of a statement piece than a practical use case. One of Samsung’s executives practically admitted this on stage: “It’s a more comfortable grip, amazing user experience and above all, your friends will think it’s very cool!” said Young Hee Lee, executive vice president for marketing at Samsung.

Cool begets novel, which potentially begets the-dreaded “gimmick.” If consumers start seeing the curved novelty as more of a gimmick than useful feature that could be a big problem for sales of the S6 Edge.

Analysts I spoke to after the launch event were dubious about whether the Edge had enough of a wow-factor to give Samsung a much needed bump in smartphone sales.

Not helping matters: HTC will be preempting Samsung by shipping its own latest smartphone ahead of the Edge. Typically Samsung new phones ship before HTC, but this time around HTC has said its new M9 smartphone would be released on March 31, a week and a half before the S6 and S6 Edge.

Hands on, the Edge does indeed have a comfortable grip, though the tapered sides may take some getting used to for those who’ve carried rounded or square-edged phone for the last few years.

One of the real standout features though is the camera. At its launch event, Samsung showed low-light photos taken by the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy S6 side by side on the large screen.

The latter won out hands down both for photos and video. In one demo a video showing a couple sitting in front of a fountain at night almost looked like silhouettes on the iPhone 6 video, but they were clearly illuminated in the Galaxy S6 version.

The camera benefits from a 16-megapixel sensor and an F1.9 lens that’s also very quick to load. Just tap the home button twice and it launches almost immediately — in 0.7 seconds, according to Samsung.

The screen’s resolution is also super crisp, packing in an incredible 577 pixels per inch on the phone’s AMOLED screen.

All told the Edge is an impressive effort by Samsung and the curved screen shows a bold attempt to redefine the way smartphones are designed and used.

Still, there’s a sense that Samsung could have taken this a bit further, and given Edge an even more dramatic curvature like the Note Edge to open the door to new kinds of applications, taking it safely beyond the role of novelty.

The built-in battery and lack of a microSD card may also be a tough pill for Samsung fans to swallow. All the more reason to fear the company’s best years of smartphone sales may well be behind it.

read more details at: http://onforb.es/1DssG5k 

Original post by: Parmy OlsonForbes Staff

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Pro−Israel Voice Silenced? I think not…

By Elliot McCarthy

I write this in response to Jon Danzig’s op−ed in the Daily on Wednesday, as well as to the series of events of the pasthalf−year that have created an unhealthy environment at Tufts when it comes to questions about Israel and Palestine. 

I do not intend to offend anyone, only to discuss the barriers to true discussion that exist on the Tufts campus and elsewhere. Considering why we have the visceral response to the conflict that we have is an important part of creating an environment which is open to free and honest dialogue.

American Jews have an integral part to play in this international drama. The political influence of the pro−IsraelAmerican lobbies gives importance to the conversations that Jews have with their friends, family, rabbis and butchers. In my view, there is a commonly accepted view of the conflict that is deemed “acceptable” among mainstream American Jews. 

That entails the unconditional support of Israel as a Jewish homeland, support of the Israeli Defense Forces and finding the more optimistic side of all of Israel’s political decisions. If an American Jew disagrees on any of these points, he or she is shunned and pushed out of the religious, cultural and political community. 

No dialogueoccurs and they are treated as the Other.

This has happened time and again to me as well as others I know. I have tried talking to people in order to create a healthy dialogue about these issues. I have confronted people with the facts of Israeli history as well as the criticisms of the status quo. I argue that things need to change and that Israel needs to observe the global standard of human rights. 

I have asked American Jews to own up to their promise to never let injustice and bigotry happen again and to take a stand against it. Just because Israelis are doing it does not make it right. We as a community say that we advocate for global human rights, and yet daily we support Israeli actions that violate that standard.

The response? I have been called an anti−Semite, a traitor, and an insult to global Jewry. I have been told that I am not a real Jew. Most Jews have not reacted with this negative intensity, but the response is significant enough to make me feel unwelcome in my own faith. Jewish religious life has become infused with a particular political view. 

The message from many Jews is clear: in order to be Jewish, you need to unconditionally support Israel. We are encouraged to question Israel, but not outright disagree with it. 

The Tufts Jewish community has adopted these principles as well. Nothing shows this view better than the national Hillel policy stating that they will not co−sponsor, host, or partner for any events with SJP or its affiliates. This policy is unconditional and non−negotiable. 

Both my personal experiences and Hillel’s policies illustrate some of the fundamental difficulties facing the Jewish community and those who wish to have open, constructive conversations on the Israeli−Palestinian conflict. To be ostracized personally for my point of view displays the powers of unofficial censorship, while Hillel’s policies clearly advocate hearing only one side of what should be a political, not religious, issue.

The advertisement published by Friends of Israel a few weeks ago was intended to show Tufts−wide support for theAmerican−Israel relationship by getting leaders on campus to sign their statement. However, this ad used the names and titles of leaders in order to legitimize their message. 

The fine print says that the leaders featured represented only themselves and not their organizations. Fine! That’s what the ad says and that’s what it means.

But if that is true, then why are their organizations on there at all? If they don’t matter, then why feature them? The answer is that the names on that advertisement meant absolutely nothing to most people until they had their organizations attached to them. It is only because of their organizations that the names gained any sort of legitimacy. 

Using their organizations was an intentional move to make the names more important. But on an aggressively pro−Israel campus such as this, there will be no consequences for FOI. In my view, this propagates the status quo of intolerance, isolation and the suppression of free speech if it speaks up against Israeli policies. Their view is the majority. 

To call those people out was not an attempt “to intimidate, censure and suppress the free speech of those who disagree with them” as Mr. Danzig alleges. 

It was an attempt to create an environment conducive to dialogue, understanding, and openness rather than one dominated by a single majority opinion backed up with institutional power and influence.

If you are reading this, think about where you stand on any political issue. Do you isolate and shun those who disagree with you? 

Are there those in your community who cannot fully participate because of one view that they hold? Is your group affected by an external force that has nothing to do with your group’s mission? If so, talk about the issues constructively and openly and get back to enjoying your community.

Elliott McCarthy is a senior majoring in sociology.

Read more news at Pro−Israel Voice Silenced? I think not

Nico Rosberg takes commanding maiden F1 win in the Chinese Grand Prix

By Matt Beer

Nico Rosberg finally claimed his maiden Formula 1 race victory, and a first win for the modern incarnation of the factory Mercedes team, with a commanding drive in a thrilling Chinese Grand Prix.

The result made Rosberg the first new winner since Mark Webber took victory in the 2009 German Grand Prix. The last triumph for a works Mercedes was back in the 1955 Italian GP with Juan Manuel Fangio.

McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton completed the podium, ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

At a track where he had led only to fade in each of the last two years, Rosberg ensured he stayed at the head of an absorbing race in which myriad tyre strategies played out through a lead pack that sometimes grew to a dozen cars.

Not only did drivers vary between two and three pitstops, but there were huge differences in stint length. Despite Mercedes' tyre difficulties in the opening two 2012 races, this time the team handled the rubber perfectly - allowing Rosberg to deploy a textbook two-stop strategy and keep himself ahead of most of the action.

The German pulled away from his team-mate Michael Schumacher in the opening laps, soon establishing a four-second lead. Schumacher's chance to feature in the lead battle then ended when he retired with an incorrectly fitted right-front wheel immediately after his first pitstop.
Button was Rosberg's main threat thereafter. A great start immediately took him to third, and he was catching Rosberg on a three-stop plan for a while, only for Rosberg's pace immediately after his final stop to secure his victory even before Button's lost several seconds with a left rear wheel issue at his final pitstop.

Kimi Raikkonen's two-stopping Lotus held second going into the closing stages, but trying to do half the race on his third set of tyres proved too optimistic, and he tumbled from second to 14th in just a handful of laps.

Vettel, following a similar strategy, was first to pass Raikkonen, and looked like he might salvage second from his qualifying disaster. He could not hold off the McLarens or Webber with their fresher tyres from a three-stop strategy, with Button getting through five laps from the end and Hamilton and Webber doing likewise amid a thrilling tussle over the last two laps. Webber took fourth despite his first pitstop coming as early as lap six, and two trips off the road - one of which featured a wild flight over the Turn 13 kerbs.

While Raikkonen fell back, his team-mate Romain Grosjean did a two-stop plan with a very long middle stint and was able to battle to sixth, ahead of Williams duo Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado.

Erstwhile championship leader Fernando Alonso was ninth for Ferrari, having lost a little ground running off-track trying to pass Maldonado.

Sauber was a factor in this pack but could not repeat its Malaysian heroics. Kamui Kobayashi fell back with a poor start and finished 10th, just ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez, who led for a while on a two-stop plan. Paul di Resta (Force India) and Felipe Massa - who also led for a spell in his Ferrari - followed them home.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai, China;
56 laps; 305.066km;
Weather: Dry.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   1h36:26.929
 2.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +    20.626
 3.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +    26.012
 4.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    27.924
 5.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +    30.483
 6.  Grosjean      Lotus-Renault              +    31.491
 7.  Senna         Williams-Renault           +    34.597
 8.  Maldonado     Williams-Renault           +    35.643
 9.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +    37.256
10.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +    38.720
11.  Perez         Sauber-Ferrari             +    41.066
12.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +    42.273
13.  Massa         Ferrari                    +    42.700
14.  Raikkonen     Lotus-Renault              +    50.500
15.  Hulkenberg    Force India-Mercedes       +    51.200
16.  Vergne        Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +    51.700
17.  Ricciardo     Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:03.100
18.  Petrov        Caterham-Renault           +     1 lap
19.  Glock         Marussia-Cosworth          +     1 lap
20.  Pic           Marussia-Cosworth          +     1 lap
21.  De la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth               +     1 lap
22.  Karthikeyan   HRT-Cosworth               +    2 laps
23.  Kovalainen    Caterham-Renault           +    3 laps

Fastest lap: Kobayashi, 1:39.960

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                         On lap
Schumacher    Mercedes                     16


World Championship standings, round 3:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Hamilton      45        1.  McLaren-Mercedes           88
 2.  Button        43        2.  Red Bull-Renault           64
 3.  Alonso        37        3.  Ferrari                    37
 4.  Webber        36        4.  Sauber-Ferrari             31
 5.  Vettel        28        5.  Mercedes                   26
 6.  Rosberg       25        6.  Lotus-Renault              24
 7.  Perez         22        7.  Williams-Renault           18
 8.  Raikkonen     16        8.  Force India-Mercedes        9
 9.  Senna         14        9.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari          6
10.  Kobayashi      9       
11.  Grosjean       8       
12.  Di Resta       7       
13.  Vergne         4       
14.  Maldonado      4       
15.  Ricciardo      2       
16.  Hulkenberg     2       
17.  Schumacher     1       
       
All timing unofficial

Read more at http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98854

Shahrizat shouldn't have much to do with cows

PETALING JAYA: Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil must explain herself on the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) fiasco to her party delegates in the upcoming Umno general assembly.

Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the NFC controversy is too big an issue for it to be overlooked by party delegates.

It was reported the 2010 Auditor-General's Report found that the RM73.64 million government project failed to meet its target of breeding 8,000 cattle last year because NFC had only produced 3,289 cattle.

"I believe it will be a major issue, just like the AP with Tan Sri Rafidah Abdul Aziz. I don’t see this issue being swept under the carpet, it is just too big to ignore or avoid.

"I think Shahrizat needs to be ready to answer the questions. I expect this will be brought up, it will be mentioned in the speeches. I think some explanation must be forthcoming to clear things up and it would be better if it comes before the general assembly," he told The Malay Mail.

Despite reassurance by the government that the project has been a success, Shahrizat has continuously
been hounded over her family's involvement in the management of NFC.

On June 24, The Malay Mail reported that NFC's executive chairman is Shahrizat's husband, Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, while the couple's three children — Izmir, 31, Izran, 27, and Izzana, 25, — are chief executive and executive directors in the company, respectively.

NFC was established as a High Impact Project under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, towards attaining 40 per cent self-sufficiency in beef production by 2010.

However, Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed opined the matter would not be made a priority as the party is preparing its machinery for the 13th general election.

"I think the issue will be suppressed because at the end of the day, we don't want negative news leading
to the general election.

"The issue will not be made a priority because the party president (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) will be looking at gearing the troops for the general election," he said.

The former Umno deputy president candidate added that Najib would also face resistance from the party's old guards when deciding on candidates for the election.

"He will have a dilemma in refreshing the candidate lineup and introducing new candidates. But the party resident must not repeat the same mistake from the previous general election when the candidate named did not have the support of the Umno machinery," he said.

The Umno general assembly will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre on Nov 29 to Dec 3 with a total of 5,447 delegates expected to attend.

Original source: http://mmail.com.my

Demi Moore Tweets Topless Pic

DEMI Moore (pix) has returned to Twitter for the first time since announcing her marriage split.

The 49-year-old actress – who is usually a prolific user of the social networking website – posted her first message since separating from Ashton Kutcher to urge her fans to be more appreciative of people.

Writing on Thanksgiving on Thursday, she posted: "Why do we have only 1 day for giving thanks? Is that why so many people feel unappreciated? Make this 1 of 365 days of Thanksgiving! (sic)"

Meanwhile, Ashton also used the holiday to return to the site.

He posted: "I'm thankful for family, friends, you, & time to reach my potential. What are you thankful for?"

The 'Two and a Half Men' actor last used the site on November 17 – the day Demi announced she was to file for divorce after six years of marriage – to pay tribute to the actress.

Ashton – who was accused of sleeping with Sara Leal in September – wrote: "I will forever cherish the time I spend with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail. Love and light, AK."

Demi expressed her "great sadness" when she announced her marriage is over but said she is hoping to "move forward" with her life.

She said in a statement: "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton. As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life. This is a trying time for me and my family, and so I would ask for the same compassion and privacy that you would give to anyone going through a similar situation." – Bang Media

National marches back to power in New Zealand

AUCKLAND (Nov 26, 2011): The ruling centre-right National Party was headed for a crushing win in New Zealand's general election on Saturday, with partial returns suggesting it would have an outright majority and not need any coalition partners.

National, led by former foreign exchange dealer John Key, was sitting on 49% share of the vote, which would translate into 61 seats in the 121 seat parliament from its current 58, with around two-thirds of the votes counted.

"We obviously are happy with the numbers we have got but again very cautious about the total count so far and I think we all should be," National's campaign manager Steven Joyce said on TVNZ.

Key campaigned on promises to build on policies of the past three years with an emphasis on sparking economic growth by cutting debt, curbing spending, selling state assets and returning to a budget surplus by 2014/15.

The Labour Party's share of the vote was around 26%, which would see it win 32 seats, down 11 on its current stake.

"We're obviously hoping we'll come up from where we are as the bigger booths come in," said senior Labour MP David Parker.

Under New Zealand's proportional voting system, parties must secure either a local electorate seat, or 5% of the nationwide vote to get into parliament.

The pattern of past elections would suggest the margin will narrow as votes in bigger cities are counted. The urban vote has in the past bolstered Labour's share.

Opinion polls published in the last day of the campaign put the National Party as many as 25 percentage points ahead of Labour.

The affable Key has been one of the most popular leaders in New Zealand history and has been seen as a safe pair of hands as he led the country through earthquakes, a coal mine disaster, and the global economic turmoil.

He has also benefited from closely linking himself with film maker Peter Jackson, who is making two movies based on the Hobbit books, and the country's All Black rugby team, which won the Rugby World Cup on home soil last month.

"But Kiwis also go on personality," said John Parenga, 20, a cafe worker, who cast an advance vote for National.

Commanding opinion poll lead for national

Key, who voted at a school near his Auckland home, ordered in a large number of pizzas as he watched results at home with family and close advisers and said he was taking nothing for granted despite the party's commanding poll lead.

No party has won an outright majority since New Zealand switched to a proportional voting system in 1996.

The surprise of the election was the near 7% showing for the nationalist New Zealand First Party, led by the mercurial veteran Winston Peters, ousted from parliament in 2008 amid a scandal over secret donations.

Of the other parties, the Greens were on track for 13 seats from their current nine, and the Maori Party was looking to retain at least three seats reserved for the indigenous Maori people.

Two small parties that supported National in the outgoing government – free market ACT and centrist United Future – were both in tight struggles to retain their current seats and return to parliament. – Reuters