Hot dogs 'must be renamed' in Malaysia, says religious government body

Food outlets selling hot dogs in Malaysia have been asked to rename their products or risk being refused halal certification.

The Malaysian Islamic Development Department, a religious government body, said it adopted the ruling after complaints from Muslim tourists.

Director Sirajuddin Suhaimee said the name might cause "confusion".

"In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification," he said.

Malaysian halal food guidelines say "halal food and halal artificial flavour shall not be named or synonymously named after non-halal products such as ham, bak kut teh, bacon, beer, rum and others that might create confusion," local media said.

Muslim-majority Malaysia practises a moderate form of Islam but conservative attitudes are on the rise.

'Pretzel Sausage'

On Monday, popular pretzel store franchise Auntie Anne's was refused halal certification unless it renamed its "Pretzel Dog". Mr Suhaimee said it was "more appropriate" to call it a "Pretzel Sausage".

Image copyrightAP

Image captionPretzel chain Auntie Anne's was refused halal certification unless it renamed its 'Pretzel Dogs'

A representative of the US chain described it as a "minor issue" and said the firm was fine with changing the name on the menu.

'Hot dog is hot dog lah'

Malaysian Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz slammed the ruling, calling it "stupid and backward".

"Hot dog is hot dog lah. Even in Malay it's called hot dog - it's been around for so many years. I'm a Muslim and I'm not offended," he told reporters, adding that there was no reason for the religious body to take offence at the word.

"It comes from the English language. Please do not make us seem stupid and backward."

The ruling has also garnered ridicule and stirred debate among Malaysians on social media.

"It's just a name, what does it have to do with whether it's halal or not? Muslims should be more concerned with ingredients and the way food is prepared," wrote Eeman Yusof on Facebook.

Image copyrightFACEBOOK: BRO, DON'T LIKE THAT LA, BRO

"You can always count on the authorities to make us look stupid," said another Malaysian Matt Razal.

Another Facebook user said: "Pet shops please rename your dogs as sausages."

"It is complications like this that make our country move backwards," commented YL Chew.

Activist and columnist Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, criticised the request by the Department of Islamic Development - also known as Jakim.

"Oh we poor easily confused Muslims who have never heard of hot dogs before and who will have no choice but to buy one if one was on the menu," she said in aFacebook post that was shared close to 2,000 times.

Malaysia often prides itself on being a moderate Muslim nation, which allows other religions freedom of worship.

In recent years, there has been greater emphasis on Islamic codes of conduct.

Stephen Hawking - will AI kill or save humankind?

Two years ago Stephen Hawking told the BBC that the development of full artificial intelligence, could spell the end of the human race.

His was not the only voice warning of the dangers of AI - Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak also expressed their concerns about where the technology was heading - though Professor Hawking's was the most apocalyptic vision of a world where robots decide they don't need us any more.

What all of these prophets of AI doom wanted to do was to get the world thinking about where the science was heading - and make sure other voices joined the scientists in that debate.

That they have achieved that aim was evident on Wednesday night at an event in Cambridge marking the opening of the Centre for the Future of Intelligence, designed to do some of that thinking about the implications of AI.

And Professor Hawking was there to help launch the centre. "I'm glad someone was listening," he told the audience.

In a short speech, he outlined the potential and the pitfalls of the technology in his usual vivid language. He reviewed the recent rapid progress in areas like self-driving cars and the triumph of Google's DeepMind in the game of Go - and predicted further advances.

Image copyrightGOOGLE

Image captionAn AI beating a human Go champion was seen as a major breakthrough for AI

'I believe there is no deep difference between what can be achieved by a biological brain and what can be achieved by a computer. It therefore follows that computers can, in theory, emulate human intelligence — and exceed it."

That, he said, could lead to the eradication of disease and poverty and the conquest of climate change. But it could also bring us all sorts of things we didn't like - autonomous weapons, economic disruption and machines that developed a will of their own, in conflict with humanity.

"In short, the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which."

So, an easy enough mission for the Centre for the Study of Intelligence - just find out whether AI is going to kill us or not.

Image copyrightLUTZ PATHFINDER PROJECT

Image captionHow driverless cars interact with pedestrians is one question for AI experts

Actually the multi-disciplinary centre, which brings together philosophers, psychologists, lawyers and computer scientists, will have a rather more practical programme of research.

Long before the robots decide whether we are surplus to requirements, we are for instance going to need to think about issues such as whether autonomous vehicles should be programmed to protect pedestrians or passengers.

Another speaker at the event was Professor Maggie Boden, a major figure in artificial intelligence research for more than 50 years.

She told me she had long seen the need for the debate we are having now - but she was not worrying about our imminent extinction and was rather less convinced than Professor Hawking that we were heading into the AI future at breakneck speed.

Her concern was about the impact of automation right now - in Japan at least - on elderly people. She pointed to the enthusiasm for the use of robots in the care of the elderly and sick and said society would have to ask whether this was dehumanising. "I'm scared of that," she said.

After decades of research into AI, Professor Boden still does not see robots replacing humans in functions which require empathy and emotional intelligence. Artificial intelligence could soon offer governments the chance to cut growing bills for social care - but at a cost for those in need of help.

Just one of the issues which will now be addressed by the Centre for the Future of Intelligence - and rather more urgent than the threat from some future Terminator.

US election: Will Donald Trump's outreach to Hindus work?

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump attended a glitzy rally of Hindu-American supporters in New Jersey complete with Bollywood celebrities and catchy music over the weekend. Seema Sirohi in Washington writes on whether this will fetch electoral dividends for Mr Trump.

An estimated 5,000 people gathered in Edison, New Jersey, on Saturday for what was billed as a "charity event" to raise money for the victims of terrorism in India and Bangladesh.

Mr Trump made an appearance in between Punjabi singers and Bollywood dancers to declare that India and the United States would be "best friends" if he were elected.

In keeping with the tradition of coming unprepared for events, he showed predictable unfamiliarity with India and made equally predictable mistakes.

'Big fan'

He used the word "Hindu" as a synonym for India, the country. "I am a big fan of Hindu. I am a big fan of India," he said, sparking immediate hilarity on social media.

Mr Trump also mixed up the location of the Indian parliament while mentioning the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2001 attack on the parliament building in New Delhi. He gave a short, rambling speech about how he would take ties with India to a new level.

But these details hardly mattered to the audience - most had come for an evening of entertainment with Mr Trump as a sideshow.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionIndian supporters of Mr Trump held placards at the rally

They faithfully held up placards saying 'Hindus for Trump', 'Trump: Great for India' and 'Trump for faster green cards' supplied by the organisers but the passion seen at his other rallies was clearly missing.

"It was political entrepreneurship by a business entrepreneur," according to Devesh Kapur, a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, who has studied the Indian diaspora.

The rally was organized by Shalabh Kumar, a Chicago-based businessman, in the name of the Republican Hindu Coalition.

Mr Kumar has given close to $1.5m (£1.23m) to Mr Trump's campaign, becoming one of its largest donors.

In the past, he says he lobbied the Congress to get a US visa ban on Mr Modilifted, and took three members of the Congress to see development work done by Mr Modi's government in Gujarat state in 2013.

Strong rhetoric

Mr Kumar's attempt to separate Hindu-Americans from the larger Indian-American community, which includes members all Indian faiths, is an effort to bring a few minority votes to Mr Trump, whose support base remains predominantly white.

He sees an intimate connection between Mr Trump's strong rhetoric against "radical Islamic terrorists" and attacks against India.

Mr Kumar says the Republican candidate would be the right partner for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his fight against terrorism. And he is attempting to forge stronger links between the two, having proved his proximity to both leaders.

Image copyrightAP

Image captionBollywood dances were staged at the event

And now by getting Mr Trump to appear at a rally, he has shown his political muscle to both the Republican Party and Modi supporters.

Mr Trump indeed praised Mr Modi as "a great man" and a "pro-growth leader" in his speech as the Indian prime minister's image appeared on huge video screens around the stage.

But Mr Trump pointedly did not mention Pakistan either from the podium or in separate interviews with Indian media.

First time

He played it safe on the India-Pakistan question, refusing to get embroiled in controversy at a time of high tension between the two countries.

But the fact that Mr Kumar managed to convince the Republican presidential candidate to appear at an Indian-American event - the first time either party's nominee has done so - is seen as significant by some analysts.

But as Mr Kapur says, Indian-Americans are "overwhelming supporters" of the Democratic Party and "that will not change in this election no matter what Shalabh Kumar does".

The Democratic Party's more liberal positions on immigration, social issues, inclusiveness and justice, appeal to Indian-Americans.

A recent National Asian American Survey showed 67% support for Hillary Clinton among Indian-Americans, the highest for all Asian ethnic groups ranging from Vietnamese to Chinese-Americans.

Image copyrightAP

Image captionAn estimated 5,000 people attended the rally in New Jersey on Saturday

Only 7% said they would vote for Mr Trump. It is worth noting that Indian-Americans are also the highest earning and the most educated ethnic group in the United States.

The latest US Census Bureau figures show a median income of $100,547 for Indian-Americans, compared to the national average of $51,939.

A 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 70% of Indian-Americans had a college degree and 28% worked in the field of science and engineering.

Mr Kumar, who has fashioned his Republican Hindu Coalition on the lines of the influential Republican Jewish Coalition, says the Republican Party's avowed adherence to "family values" - political speak for conservative social policies - fits well with conservative Hindu values.

But it may be a forced attempt to create synergy where none exists.

Viewpoint: Brics sees rekindling of India-Russia romance

The Brics summit in the Indian resort state of Goa concluded on Sunday with a joint declaration which was as anodyne as such documents tend to be.

Though India made it a point to focus on terrorism and managed to underscore "the need for close coordination on tracking sources of terrorist financing and target the hardware of terrorism, including weapons' supplies, ammunition, equipment and training," it could not convince China to change its stance on Masood Azhar, leader of the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The group has been blamed for attacks on Indian soil in the past, including the 2001 parliament attack in Delhi that took the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war.

China has twice this year blocked India's effort to get Masood Azhar declared a UN-designated global terrorist, despite Jaish being a UN-proscribed terror group.

Turbulent ties

Sino-Indian ties have been going downhill for the last few years and the future of Brics remains tentative at best because of this growing divergence.

But it was the other bilateral relationship- the one between India and Russia - that was the focus of the Goa summit.

China backs Brics' long term prospects

India and Russia to sign air defence deal

Where Sino-Indian bilateral engagement was perfunctory at best, the India-Russia relationship was given a big boost with Delhi reaffirming ties with its long-standing strategic partner.

India's ties with Russia have seen turbulence in recent weeks.

Despite India's opposition to Russia conducting its first ever join military exercise with Pakistan, especially at a time when Indian troops were also participating in bilateral military exercises in Russia, Moscow went ahead, raising concerns in Delhi about the future trajectory of Russian foreign policy.

Image copyright

Image caption'Ties between India and China have been going downhill'

Many believe that Moscow, for its part, has been obsessed with challenging the US and sees the growing US-India partnership as a threat.

At a time when America's ties with Pakistan are seen to be deteriorating, Moscow has agreed to sell Islamabad four Mi-35 attack helicopters and build a $2bn (£1.64bn) natural gas pipeline there.

During the Brics summit, India sought to re-engage Russia more substantively.

The two countries signed a swathe of defence deals, including a multi-billion dollar agreement for the delivery of a long range advanced air defence system to Delhi.

'Clear stand'

The Russian and Indian leaders also took part in a ceremony to lay the foundation for the third and fourth power units of India's Kudankulam nuclear power plant.

On the energy front, the two sides announced their biggest agreement, where a group led by Russian state-controlled oil giant Rosneft said it would pay $13bn for a controlling stake in both India's Essar Oil and the port facilities that it owns.

And to allay Indian concerns, Russian officials made it clear that Moscow has not signed any contracts and has no plans to sign any military-related deals with Pakistan.

The two states also reiterated their common opposition to terrorism.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined "Russia's clear stand on the need to combat terrorism mirrors our own."

Image copyright

Image captionThe S-400 is one of Russia's most modern air defence systems with an extraordinary reach

"We deeply appreciate Russia's understanding and support of our actions to fight cross-border terrorism that threatens our entire region. We both affirmed the need for zero tolerance in dealing with terrorists and their supporters," he said.

For an estimated $100bn upgrade of its mostly Soviet-era military equipment, Delhi has been looking largely at the West for cutting-edge technologies.

Though there has been dissatisfaction in sections of the Indian military and policy-makers at the manner in which Moscow has handled its defence contracts in recent years, there is a recognition of the need to have strong ties with Russia as it has been one of the few states willing to share 'strategic technologies' with India including aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.

Russia under President Putin is determined to position itself as a major global player and is enhancing its ties with China to gain leverage in its ties with the West.

'Old friend'

Similarly, in South Asia, Russia wants to reposition itself if only to caution India of cosying up to Washington at its expense.

Delhi too is reimagining its foreign policy priorities under Mr Modi.

For the prime minister, strong Indo-Russian ties go a long way in blunting his domestic critics who see a pro-US tilt in his foreign policy.

During his joint press conference with the Russian President Mr Modi said in Russian, "stariya droog luchhey novikh dhwukh (an old friend is better than two new ones)."

This remark was aimed at both Russia which has been giving a fresh look to its ties with Pakistan as well as at those who have been questioning his commitment to India's old partners like Russia.

As of now, India and Russia have succeeded in re-establishing "the special and privileged nature" of their strategic partnership.

But whether this would be enough to sustain the Cold War era strength of this bilateral partnership remains to be seen.

Harsh V Pant is a Distinguished Fellow at Delhi's Observer Research Foundation and Professor of International Relations, King's College London.

Tesla to make all new cars self-driving

Electric carmaker Tesla says all cars it now builds will have hardware needed to drive completely on their own.

But despite the cameras, sensors and radars being introduced, it is still expected to be years before the vehicles become fully self-driving.

Tesla introduced its Autopilot system last year, allowing some self-drive functions such as auto-braking.

But it is now temporarily disabling Autopilot on all new cars to allow "robust" testing with the new systems.

Gathering data

Tesla founder Elon Musk said its hardware was "basically a super-computer in a car," but added it would be up to regulators and the public to decide when self-driving vehicles could actually be used on the roads.

He said it made sense to build in the self-driving tech now - even if it cannot be used for some time - because trying to retrofit the hardware at a later stage would cost consumers more than buying a new vehicle.

For now, the hardware will run in "shadow mode", gathering information on when the technology may have caused or avoided accidents had it been in command of the vehicle.

Mr Musk said he hoped that Tesla could one day show regulators significant data which demonstrated the self-driving technology was safer than having humans behind the wheel.

Image Image caption

Tesla's cars are powered by the firm's supercharger facility

This is a statement of intent from Elon Musk but there's no real technological leap.

Google and pretty much everyone else in this game has the necessary sensor technology at the ready, but the research and development task in making the computer smart enough to intelligently work out what is going on around it. That's what's holding self-driving technology back right now.

What Tesla will gain by doing this, however, is a huge fleet of cars gathering data on the world's roads, something which could hasten the introduction of self-driving technology.

It's an announcement that seems more designed to keep up investor confidence that Tesla is still worth backing despite missing sales and revenue targets over the past year. He'd promised they'd be comfortably making a profit by now, but he certainly hasn't managed that.

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Press attack

Tesla has an Autopilot feature in its Model S and Model X vehicles, allowing them to automatically change lanes and keep up with traffic.

But it suffered a setback in May when a man was killed driving a Tesla Model S while using the Autopilot function. A preliminary US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report into the incident said the driver had been speeding moments before he collided with a lorry.

Image copyright

Image captionMr Musk is unhappy about the way Autopilot accidents had been reported by the media

Mr Musk was critical of press coverage of this and other related Autopilot accidents, saying there had been a "paucity of media coverage of the 1.2 million people that die every year in manual crashes".

He claimed that publishing such negative stories risked dissuading people from using autonomous car tech, which would result in deaths.

To underline the point, he retweeted an account of how Autopilot had prevented a Tesla Model X rear-ending another car.

But one expert said it was right that critical articles be published.

"It's a revolutionary technology, so it's inevitable that it will attract a lot of attention," said Prof David Bailey from Aston Business School.

"If it was positive attention he wouldn't be complaining. But the point is that the press will pick up on things that go wrong, and things will go wrong.

"This technology will radically change the way we get around our cities, and as it's introduced it's absolutely right that it be scrutinised both by policy makers and the media."

New customers

In its last set of financial results, Tesla said it had missed production targets, saw sales below expectations and reported its thirteenth consecutive quarterly loss.

In April, Tesla unveiled plans for its Model 3 vehicle, its lowest-cost to date, due for release next year. It has been reported that so far 400,000 have been pre-ordered. That vehicle will now also include the new hardware.

The basic model will start at $35,000 (£28,500) and have a range of at least 215 miles (346km) per charge. Analysts say the price and range of the five-seater should make the vehicle appeal to new types of customers and could boost interest in other electric vehicles.

The firm faces competition from other similarly priced electric cars that will become available first, including General Motors' Chevy Bolt and BYD's Qin EV300.

best place for visit under 1.5L

1.5L is a good budget for Thailand or Bali but these places are too crowded and filled with Honeymooners most of the times. I'd suggest you a few places where you can spend your Honeymoon in a much more romantic way away from crowd and in serenity of nature.

I present you Seychelles

Seychelles is a small island filled with beautiful beaches, amazing hosts and its white sand, pristine turquoise water and ultra-luxurious resorts and hotels make a good honeymoon destination.

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The best part about this place is the value of rupee, 1 SCR is equal to 5 INR.

The island of this beautiful nation has some beautiful resort, adventure activities and a lot of place for sightseeing. Birdwatching, turtle sighting, tribal life sighting, deep sea diving are some of the popular activities here.
               
                     so, guys go & enjoy either your wife or gf..