New IPhone Brings Face Recognition (And Fears) To The Masses

Apple will let you unlock the iPhone X with your face - a move likely to bring facial recognition to the masses, along with concerns over how the technology may be used for nefarious purposes.
Apple's newest device, set to go on sale Nov. 3, is designed to be unlocked with a facial scan with a number of privacy safeguards - as the data will only be stored on the phone and not in any databases.
Unlocking one's phone with a face scan may offer added convenience and security for iPhone users, according to Apple, which claims its "neutral engine" for FaceID cannot be tricked by a photo or hacker.
While other devices have offered facial recognition, Apple is the first to pack the technology allowing for a three-dimensional scan into a hand-held phone.
But despite Apple's safeguards, privacy activists fear the widespread use of facial recognition would "normalize" the technology and open the door to broader use by law enforcement, marketers or others ofa largely unregulated tool.
"Apple has done a number of things well for privacy but it's not always going to be about the iPhone X," said Jay Stanley, a policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union.
"There are real reasons to worry that facial recognition will work its way into our culture and become a surveillance technology that is abused."
A study last year by Georgetown University researchers found nearly half of all Americans in law enforcement database that includes facial recognition, without their consent.
Civil liberties groups have sued over the FBI's use of its "next generation" biometric database, which includes facial profiles, claiming it has a high error rate and the potential for tracking innocent people.
"We don't want police officers having a watch list embedded in their body cameras scanning faces on the sidewalk," said Stanley.
Clare Garvie - the Georgetown University Law School associate who led the 2016 study on facial recognition databases - agreed that Apple is taking a responsible approach but others might not.
"My concern is that the public is going to become inured or complacent about this," Garvie said.
Widespread use of facial recognition "could make our livea more trackable by advertisers, by law enforcement and maybe someday by private individuals," she said.
Garvie said her reaearch found significant errors in law enforcement facial recognition databases, opening up the possibility someone could be wrongly identified as a criminal suspect.
Another worry, she said, is that police could track individuals who have committed no crime simply for participating in demonstrations.
Shanghai and other Chinese cities have recently started deploying facial recognition to catch those who flout the rules of the road, including jaywalkers.
Facial recognition and related technologies can also be used by retail stores to identify potential shoplifters, and by casinos to pinpoint undesirable gamblers.
It can even be used to deliver personalized, marketing mesaages - and could have some other potentially unnerving applications.
Last year, a Russian photographer figured out how to match the faces of porn stars with their social media profiles to "doxx" them, or reveal their true identities.
This type of use "can create huge problems," said Garvie. "We have to consider the worst possible uses of the technology."
Apple's system use 30,000 infrared dots to create a digital image which is stored in a "secure enclave," according to a white paper issued by the company on its security. It said the chances of a "random" person being able to unlock the device are one in a million, compared with one in 50,000 for its TouchID.
Apple's FaceID is likely to touch off fresh legal battles about whether police can require someone to unlock a device.
FaceID "brings the company deeper into a legal debate" that stemmed from the introduction of fingerprint identification on smartphones, according to ACLU staff attorney Brett Max Kaufman.
Kaufman says in a blog post that courts will be grappling with the constitutional guarantees against unreasonable searches and self-incrimination if a suspect is forced to unlock a device.
United States courts have generally ruled that it would violate a user's rights to give up a passcode because it is "testimonial" - but that situation becomes murkier when biometrics are applied.
Apple appears to have anticipated this situation by allowing a user to press two buttons for two seconds to require a passcode, but Garvie said court battles over compelling the use of facial recognition technology.
"What Apple is doing here will popularize and get people more comfortable with the technology," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights &Strategy, who follows the sector.
"If I look at Apple's track record of making things easy for consumers, I'm optimistic users are going to like this."
Garvie added it is important to have conversations about facial recognition because there is little regulation governing the use of the technology.
"The technology may well be inevitable," she said.
"It is going to become part of everyone's lives if it isn't already.

Rob Lever

1. Agence France-Presse/Washington

Marvel Vs Capcom Tries To Bring New Players

Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite remains a game that is fun to enjoy if you have the ability not to be critical.
The fighting game series, Marvel vs Capcom, has enjoyed success through a catchy gimmick since its early days as an old-school, coin-operated arcade game.
Acting as a crossover platform for characters both from the popular Marvel comics universe and from legendary Japanese video game developer Capcom, the franchise has borne six main titles plus two subtitles, including its latest Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite.
Like the last few titles in the series, Infinite begins with a limited roster, which will thankfully be expanded as more downloadable characters become available. The characters are given some new moves, but the roster is practically the same from Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, released in 2011.
There is a new mechanic that lets players use Infinite Stones, a well-known element in the Marvel universe, to act as a substitute third "player" on your team. In the previous entries, each player usually gets to use three characters in each tag-team-style battle.
There are various kinds of stones, each with its own ability. The Time Stone works as a teleportation gadget of sorts; the Soul Stone shoots out a beam; the Power Stone gives you the ability to extend the use of combos; the reality stone shoots out a homing projectile; the Space Stone entraps enemies in a transparent cube; and the Mind Stone quickly refills the super meter, which is utilized for special combos.
Another change in this latest release is that active characters will not be able to call upon their tag-team partner to do assist attacks.
As always the game is enjoyable in and of itself, though.
The gimmick of pitting Marvel superheroes and super villains, such as Captain America, Spider Man, and Thor against Dante from the Devil May Cry video game series or Chun-Li from Street Fighter, remains as fun as ever.
The simple things also add a lot to the game. Its online offerings and matchmaking feel like the best in the series so far, and local players in Indonesia won't have issues getting into an online brawl quickly.
Players new to the series will also have an easier time getting familiar with the game play, stringing together basic combos by continually hitting the light punch button. Of course, this is not as simple as it sounds, but it does provide novice players a welcome starting point around which to build their fighting style. The game was indeed consciously created to appeal to newcomers as well.
Oddly, the game's best control training comes in the form of its training and mission modes, with its story mode lacking any willingness to teach players about the mechanics. This is an odd choice for a game looking to broaden its appeal.
The main single-player plot is not much to write home about, following the characters having to come together to battle a new villain, Ultron Sigma. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the dialogue and voice acting leave a little to be desired.
It certainly does not help that the graphics are the most unattractive the series to offer thus far. Looking stale and stiff, they make the game feel as if production was rushed, and they are certainly less than we should expect from a sixth-generation console. The visuals stand in stark contrast to previous entries, especially the flashy cel-shaded art of Marvel v. Capcom 3. There is a blandness here that feels out of place from the rest in the franchise.
Infinite is a simplistic game that gets its point across quickly, and anyone who is curious about the series would do well in hopping onto the franchise through this entry.

Marcel Thee
Contributor/Jakarta

Real Madrid Lose In Troubled Catalonia

Real Madrid suffered a back-lash on the field rather than from an expected hostile atmosphere amid political turmoil in Catalonia as they slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat at Girona on Sunday.
Goals from Christian Stuani and Portu in four second-half minutes cancelled out Isco's opener for Madrid as Real fell eight points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after just 10 games.
Madrid were making their first appearance in the deeply divided region since a violence marred Oct. 1 referendum plunged Spain into political crisis.
As a reported one million people joined a rally in Barcelona in favor of Spanish unity on Sunday, just over 100 kilometers away in the pro-indendence heartland of Girona, the visitors were expected to receive a hostile reception.
"Girona FC's victory against one of the greatest teams in the world is an example and a benchmark for many situations," Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who was deposed by the Spanish government as president of the regional parliament on Friday, posted on Twitter.
However, it was events on the field that proved far more troublesome for Zinedine Zidane's men as they lost more ground on rivals Barca in the La Liga title race.
"We know we can turn this around. We will have better days and our rivals will lose points over the course of the season," insisted Zidane.
"There is nothing more we can do, and we know that sooner or later things will turn. There is a long way to go and I am not worried."
Chants in favor of independence and "freedom" reverberated around the 13,500 capacity Montlivi in the 17th minute as is common at Girona and Barcelona home matches to mark the fall of Catalonia in the Spanish War of Succession in 1714.
However, with plenty of Madrid fans present, there were also plenty of Spanish flags on show.
"Everyone who knows Girona, knew nothing would happen," said Girona coach Pablo Machin.
"The fans were sensible. They want it (the political situation) to be over. They enjoyed two brilliant hours of soccer."
In their first ever match against the European champions, Girona looked keen to make a mark from the outset and were desperately unlucky not to go in front when Pablo Maffeo's cross came back off the inside of the post 12 minutes in.
Seconds later, though, the ball was in the Girona net as Madrid broke immediately upfield and Isco tapped home the rebound after Bono parried Cristiano Ronaldo's initial effort.
Girona continued to dominate the game and hit the woodwork again before half-time when Portu's flicked header looped over Kiko Casilla and back off the inside of the post.
Real suffered an injury blow days before they travel to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on Wednesday as Raphael Varane was replaced by Nacho at half-time due to a muscular problem.
And the French international's presence at the heart of the Madrid defense was badly missed as Stuani jinked past Nacho to fire Girona deservedly level nine minutes into the second-half .
Just four minutes later, Girona were in dreamland as Maffeo's driven cross was flicked home by Portu and the goal was allowed to stand despite the striker appearing to be in an offside position.
Rather than mount a late comeback as they did so often on route to a first La Liga and Champions League double for 59 years last season, Madrid looked short of energy and ideas in the final half hour as Girona held out for a famous victory.

Jean Decotte
AFP/Girona, Spain

Maratua's Solar Power To Cut Carbon Emissions

Solar energy brings hope to residents in the remote area of Maratua, East Kalimantan.
The heat of the sun was seemingly boiling the waters of Maratua Island in Berau regency, East Kalimantan, as the single engine boat owned by Lasahi, 52, was passing Alulu Bay making it necessary to cool the engine so as not to stall at sea.
Unlike in the past, however, Lasahi had no need to pump sea water into the boat's cooling device. For almost two years now, the pumpin work has been replaced by a solar power cooling system that is connected with a solar panel through a battery to transmit its energy by means of simple electric cables.
"I use a wet-cell battery," said Lasahi, who cannot afford a dry cell battery because it's expensive even through it's recommended for solar power. Nonetheless, he can manage to transport 50 to 150 sacks of sand daily to be sold to contractors undertaking building construction in several parts of Maratua Island.
With a land zone only 384.36 square kilometers and a water area of 3,735.18 square km, the island is shaped like a curved blade, bending from the south to the north and pointing at the south-east. Shallow waters stretch from the middle to the upstream area, which turns into an expanse of sand when the tide is ebbing.
Sea transportation by boat is widespread, carrying passengers and goods from one bay to another on Maratua. Land transportation is limited due to the absence of inter-village ring roads and unless the government expedites the construction of land routes, the island will continue to depend on waterways.
"Sea conveyance is costlier and often hampered by weather," Lasahi said.
Yet sea trips are certainly Lasahi's personal choice. As long as his boat keeps operating to transport sand and passengers along the coves on the island, he will always rely on solar panel installed atop the boat's roof, which he received from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
Meanwhile, an Alulu Bay villager, Ayu Siti Wahyuni, 22, said that like the 135 other families in the village, she was allocated 800 watts of electricity daily, derived from a solar power generator located at the tip of the settlement nearly 3 km away from her home.
The solar power generator (PLTS) of Alulu Bay has a capacity of 44 kilowatts-peak (kWp), with around 120 solar panels capturing, storing and converting energy to meet the local's electicity demands.
Any uses the power supply only for illumination, as it's impossible to use a washing machine and refrigerator.
"For watching TV, it just lass one to two hours," she said, adding that her family prioritized the use of electricity for her sixth-grade niece, who needed it to study in the evening.
A native of Alulu Bay, Maidah, 60, now feels happy to see her grandchildren getting lights to study in the evening. Previously, the family used torches made from dried coconut leaves for outdoor lightning. They used oil lamps made of used bottles or cans for indoor lightning.
Kirno, a fisherman and Ayu's husband, has to store his catch in fiber boxes filled with ice blocks to keep the fish fresh.
"This is even more required if the fish has to be sold in Tanjung Redeb (Berau's capital). It can take 12 hours to sail from Maratua to Tanjung Redeb," he said.
Therefore, Kirno is now actively involved in the building of an ice factory located right next to his home and covering an area of almost a hectare. The plant uses a PLTS to absorp solar energy.
"The fund for the construction comes from the Millennium Challenge Account-Indonesia (MCA-Indonesia) program, committed to develop environtmentally friendly businesses. We're fortunate to be part of this effort," said Kirno.
The factory's 54-kWp PLTS will be able to operate ice-making machines with a daily capacity of two tons. The local community is directly participating in planning, training, factory development and product management. The ice factory would be use to support fishermen, so they would be able to reduce their ice blocks purchase expenditures.
Kirno and his fellow villagers are handling the factory development through the facilitation of the Indonesian Bio-Diversity Foundation (KEHATI) as the fund management agency and the Java Learning Center (JAVLEC) as a partner of MCA-Indonesia.
Still, Kirno has to learn from PLTS failures in various places on Maratua.
In Teluk Harapan village, for example, residents regretted the improperly managed PLTS construction.
"Road lamps only lasted for two months and they 've been off for two years," Nursiah said. The road lights, she added, were built along with the village's PLTS development, but right now generator was no longer operating, making local people rely again on costly diesel power.
Former Teluk Harapan PLTS operator Dadang Wahyudi acknowledged the far cheaper solar power. Each of the 100 village homes supplied by the PLTS only pays Rp 30,000 a month. Technically, according to him, PLTS durability is determined by the maintenance of equipment like batteries and the repair of replacement of worn-out batteries.
He has reported the battery damage to the village administration, but new batteries are too expensive to purchase. Dadang confirmed Kirno's view of the importance of direct community involvement. The key to continuity lies with the community, which should understand how to manage and should have common awareness.
"The PLTS is a community asset that should be maintained together. If this happens it will keep operating," he said.
Dadang disclosed that Maratua villages had owned PLTS units, but many had ceased operation after two to three years because of operational and repair cost shortages as well as the lack of community awareness.
"The same applies to the Alulu Bay ice factory. Without the participation of Pak Kirno and villagers there, I'm afraid the plant won't work," he said.
Asep Suntana, the direcor of the community-based natural resources management program of KEHATI, said Kirno's effort should be appreciated. This will facilitate Maratua fishermen's operations and set an example for their peers in remote regions. The same is true of Lasahi's transportation business and other similiar initiatives.
"PLTS projects constitute a joint commitment to lower carbon emissions and at the same time promote people's economy," he said. In Asep's observation, the earth's temperature will increase unless people make prompt adaptation and mitigation. Such efforts should confirm to the use of renewable energy like solar energy.
Although remote from the State Electricity Company (PLN), Maratua's won't keep silent. The island's renewable energy development will keep going.
"This will contribute to Indonesia's carbon emission cut in 2020," Asep said.

Syafrizaldi
Contributor/Berau, East Kalimantan

Sequel To Mandela's 'Long Walk' Autobiography Launched

The sequel to Nelson Mandela's celebrated autobiography Long Walk to Freedom was published Thursday after his unfinished, handwritten draft was completed by a South African novelist.
Titled Dare Not Linger, the sequel to Nelson Mandela's celebrated autobiography Long Walk to Freedom tells of Mandela's five years as president after the end of apartheid and the first multi-race elections in South Africa in 1994.
Long Walk to Freedom, released shortly after the election, was a global phenomenon, selling more than 14 million copies, and was turned into a film starring Idris Elba.
Mandela wrote 10 chapters of his follow-up memoir on loose paper and in files between 1998 and 2002, when he stopped working on it due to his age and hectic schedule.
Mandla Langa completed the book using fresh interviewa and research, as well as Mandela's own notes from when he was president.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, which hosted the book's launch on Tuesday in Johannesburg, described the project as a "50/50" collaboration between Mandela and Langa.
The book's title is taken from the final sentence of Mandela's first autobiography, when he wrote that "with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended."
Mandela's widow Graca Machel wrote in a prologue to the new book that he had struggled to complete it because of the "demands the world placed on him, distractions of many kinds and his advancing years."
"Through the last years of his life he talked about it often - worried about work started but not finished," she said.
Mandela served one term as South Africa's president before stepping down in 1999. He retired from public life in 2004 and died in 2013 aged 95.
Co-author Langa, 67, was a fellow activist against white-minority rule who joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, the same year as Mandela.
Best known as a novelist and poet, he said at the book's launch that he took on the task "with a sense of gratitude and humility and, at the same time, trepidation."
"The analogy I use is that a melody can be enriched by introduction of instruments, of other voices - not to take away the essence of that melody but to celebrate it and enhance it," he said.
With modern South Africa facing political scandals, sharp inequality and racial tension, Langa said he hoped the book would "help us to remember ourselves as South Africans when we held the moral high ground."
The years covered by the volume include the Truth and Reconciliation  Commission into apartheid crimes, Mandela's globe-trotting diplomacy, his divorce from Winnie Mandela in 1996 and marriage to Machel in 1998.
It may also address his deep regret over his failure to tackle the country's AIDS crisis and his much-criticized choice of Thabo Mbeki as his successor as president.
Verne Harris, of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, said the book would "fundamentally shift perceptions" about the anti-apartheid hero's time in power.
"What emerges is (...) a hands-on leader who, in relation to aspects of his government such as the security establishment, was a bit of a micromanager," Harris said.
"He was a politician's politician; he knew how to get the best out of people."
Publisher Pan Macmillan described it as "a vivid and inspirational account of Mandela's presidency, a country in flux and the creation of a new democracy."
Long Walk to Freedom tells of Mandela's rural childhood, his youthful activism, his 1964 trial, his imprisonment on Robben Island before his release from jail in 1990, and his election victory.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said at the time that the book told how "justice, freedom, goodness, and love have prevailed spectacularly in South Africa and one man has embodied that struggle."

Ben Sheppard
Agence France-Presse/Johanmesburg

World's Largest Library on Indonesia Opens In Leiden

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands inaugurated in Leiden last week the Asian Library, which houses the world's largest collection on Indonesia, including two United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage documents.
Rain and biting cold could not stop thousands of people from royalty and diplomats to academics and students - from descending upon Leiden's city center for the opening of Leiden University's Asian Library.
"Leiden University has created one of the foremost Asian libraries and a major international center for the study of Asia," said university head librarian Kurt de Belder at the opening ceremony.
While also housing a prominent Chinese, Japanese, South and Southeast Asian collection, its Indonesian section is the library's crown jewel.
"The Asian Library has the largest Indonesian collection worldwide," De Belder points out, with "hundreds of thousands of items such as of books, documents, maps, photos and even LPs of early Indonesian pop music."
The library is part of Leiden University Libraries, with collections spread across seven locations: in Leiden, Morocco's Rabat and Jakarta. It brings together the university's existing Asian collection with the libraries of the Royal Tropical Institute, which closed in 2013, and that of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies KITLV. The latter, in particular, has long been a major source for academic researchers on Indonesia. The Jakarta location is also a KITLV center.
It took several years of tremendous preparatory work, De Belder continues, to create "a large open stack collection of 4 kilometers of Asian materials at the University Library, and ultimately creating an Asian Library on the library's former roof garden."
Situated on the third floor of Leiden University's library building, the Asian Library has surrounding windows over-looking the city's canal and a 16th century botanical garden. Its facilities include conference rooms and a film hall.
Among its most treasured items are original copies of La Galigo and Babad Diponegoro, both on UNESCO's Memories of the World Heritage list. La Galigo, the world's largest literary work, is a 14th century mythical story from the Bugia in South Sulawesi. Originating from an oral traditon, it was put down in writing around the 19th century. "We have 12 volumes of the work in our collection," says Roger Tol, head of the KITLV Jakarta office.
Babad Diponegoro, meanwhile, is the autobiographical chronicle of Prince Diponegoro, who fought the Dutch colonizers in a five-year war ending in 1830.
Tol underlined that both works were jointly submitted for UNESCO's consideration by Indonesia and the Netherlands. Former Indonesian education minister Wardiman Djojonegoro, who has been involved in the submission process, was among the day's honored guests.
A third submission is on the way: the 13th century Panji tales from East Java, which later spread throughout Southeast Asia. The Asian Library has some 250 Panji manuacripts, "more than any collection elsewhere in the world," Tol says.
The deputy chief of mission at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, Ibnu Wahyutomo, was optimistic that the new Asian Library would encourage more Indonesian academics to head to the Netherlands. "We already have some 2,500 students studying here," he said.
He pointed out that some of Indonesia's most prominent figures are Leiden University alumni, such as sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, who studied at the School of Economics in the 1930s. This head of the powerful Yogyakarta sultanate played an important role in Indonesia's road toward independence from the Dutch in the 1940s. He served as vice president in the 1970s under then president Soeharto.
In fact, also present at the opening were two of the sultan's granddaughters: crown Princess Mangkubumi and her youngest sister Princess Bendoro. Head librarian De Belder said he was delighted to welcome the two royals.
"They are actively involved in the museum community of Yogyakarta, and are interested in sharing and exchanging information with us."
One very important mission of the library is its continuous digitalization efforts, so that people anywhere in the world with internet could view its collection. "We would like to share this great collection with the world," De Belder said.
Marije Plomp, librarian for the South and Southeast Asian collection, explains that "anyone with internet access can get on our website and search for material. The site is available in English, and when you click on a title, it will say whether it's available in digital form."
Some of the material, Plomp continues, "can also be downloaded for free, given that there is no copyright on it." Much of the material dated prior to the 20th century, she points out, does not have copyright on them.
In the past decade, Plomp has seen a significant increase in interest for information from Indonesia. "Many Indonesians are curious to do research about their village or city, and about their history."
A concrete proof of this is the presence of Bogor Mayor Bima Arya at the Asian Library opening.
"I'll be signing a MoU (memorandum of understanding) for information exchange between Bogor and Leiden," he said after the opening ceremony.
Bima says Bogor is mapping out its modern history, as well as that of the Pajajaran Kingdom, which existed in the Bogor region between the 11th and 16th centuries.
"I am sure that there are many resources here that we can use for our research."
Plomp applauds these efforts. "After all, a lot of what we have is our shared heritage with Indonesia."
She does give one word of advice: "Historical research takes a lot of time and effort. No one should expect to promptly get all the material they need. They need to be patient and sort out what they need."
The new library, she points out, does have four slots for guest researchers to go to Leiden and use the library's facilities for a few months.
"We currently have two Indonesian writera here: Ben Sohib and Kurnia Effendi."

Linawati Sidarto
Contributor/Leiden

With The Crazy 'Italics', Asterix Returns For 37th Adventure

Asterix, the indomitable pint-sized Gaul forever outfoxing the Romans; returns for his 37th comic adventure, this time battling his way across Italy in a chariot race.
The moustachioed hero, who has been entertaining readers with his magic-potion exploits alongside Obelix since 1959, has become a mainstay in the publishing industry, with more than 370 million albums sold worldwide.
As well as being translated into more than 100 languages, the booka have inspired a dozen movies and cartoon series, making it a global phenomenon.
The latest editon, Asterix et la Transitalique (Asterix and the Chariot Race) is set in ancient Italy.
Rather than a showdown with Julius Caesar, it involves the resolute Gauls meeting a tribe called the Italics who are also fighting to remain independent from Rome.
The original books, written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, built up a mass following in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, with many chilhood readers from those days still snapping up the titles decades on.
After Goscinny's death in 1977, Uderzo wrote and illustrated the series until he retired in 2009. The last three editons have been written by Jean-Yves Ferri and drawn by Didier Conrad, sticking closely to the original format.
"We had Italy in mind and then I had the idea of a chariot race, a sort of rally from ancients times, a trip across the peninsula leading from one city to another," said Ferri as he and Conrad preaented the new edition this week.
According to traditon, the latest Asterix features a new villain, Coronavirus, a mysterious, masked chariot racer who will stop at nothing to win.
While Uderzo plays a role overseeing the series, Ferri said he had not asked for any changes.
"He wanted a team able to perpetuate the tradition and he put his trust in us," he said. "He shows his support, but is not really critical.
"The only change we had to make was putting a dot on the 'i' of 'italique'," he joked. "We agreed against our will."
With the Asterix movies proving box office successes, the books have attracted a new, younger generation of followers. That is reflected in the print run for Asterix and the Chariot Race, with five million copies planned.

Sonia Ye
Reuters/Paris

Want To Boost Brain Power In Your Old Age? Become a Volunteer

Volunteering has prevously been found to have various physical health benefits, with those who volunteer benefiting from a reduced number of chronic conditions that lead to physical disability. However, less has been known about its effect on cognitive function.
Carried out by Christine Proulx at the University of Missouri in the United States, the new study has now suggested that there is a link between volunteering and higher levels of cognitive functioning in older adults, including working memory - what the brain needs to temporarily store and manage information - and processing - which is how fast the brain is able to take in and store information.
"Cognitive functions, such as memory, working memory and processing are essential for living an independent life," explained Proulx. "They're the tools and methods the brain uses to process information. It's the brain's working memory and processing capacity that benefit the most from volunteering."
For this study Proulx gathered from more than 11,000 adults age 51 and over. She found that there was a significant association between cognitive function and volunteering among all participants, no matter how much time they spent volunteering.
However, she also found that adults with lower levels of education and women seemed to benefit the most from volunteering. She said: "Prior research has shown that older adults with lower levels of education are at greater risk of cognitive decline. Engaging in volunteering might compensate for some of that risk."
Proulx suggests that volunteering may have a beneficial effect on the brain as it requires an individual to engage the brain's working memory and processing in various activities such as following directions and solving problems.
The findings can be found published online in the Journal Of Gerontology - Social Sciences.

AFP Relaxnews

Sharp Swings To 1H Profit On Screen Sales

Japan's Sharp said Friday it swung to a first-half profit as it upgraded iys full-year outlook, crediting strong LCD screen sales and cost cuts under a new Taiwanese owner.
The electronics giant booked a net profit of 34.7 billion yen (US$305 million) for the April-September period, reversing a 45.4 billion yen net loss a year ago, while sales jumped about 21 percent to 1.12 trillion yen.
For the fiscal year to March, Osaka-base Sharp now expects a net profit of 69 billion yen, up from a previous forecast of 59 billion yen.
The recovery was mainly due to brisk sales of small- and mid-sized liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and of LCD television sets, as well as cost-cutting, the company said.
"Sales of small- and mid-sized LCD panels and of LCD televisions surpassed the previous forecasts significantly," it said.
The results mark a big improvement for the Aquos-brand maker, which had been pummeled by huge losses and mounting debts.
Sharp was formally acquired in August last year by Taiwan's Hon Hai, better known as Foxconn, which took a 66 percent stake in the hard-hit firm for $3.7 billion.
It was the first foreign acquisition of a major Japanese electronics company and marked a watershed for the once-mighty home electronics sector, which nurtured global brands including Sony and Panasonic but has struggled in the face of foreign competition.
Over the past decade Sharp bet heavily on LCD's, boasting the most advanced technology in the world.
But that turned into a weakness when the market became more competitive after the 2008 global financial crisis and lower-cost rivals dug into its profits.
While the firm still produces cutting-edge LCD screens, it has lacked the huge research and development funds necessary to keep ahead of the competition.

AFP/Tokyo

iPhone X Wait Times Rise By Five Weeks

Apple Inc. began accepting early orders for its iPhone X and shipping times quickly lengthened to as much as five weeks in the United States, signaling supplies will likely remain tight as the new device goes on sale Nov. 3.
Hong Kong appeared to run out less than half an hour after purchasea commenced in the mid-afternoon, as the online store for the city of seven million showed both models of the gadget to be "currently unavailable."
Those who ordered the phone in the first few minutes after the clock struck midnight in California will get their phones next Friday. And Apple also sets inventory aside for those buying at their physical stores.
But its online stores from Europe to Asia showed waits of several weeks. In markets including Japan, Australia, and China, shipping times extended to as much as five or six weeks, while they reached three to four weeks in the hours after becoming available to pre-order.
Apple typically takes a few weeks or months to reach a balance of supply and demand for major new iPhone launches, and the 8's availability just weeks after its introduction may be a result of users waiting for the higher-end iPhone X.
The iPhone X has an OLED screen with slimmer bezels, matching recent designs from Samsung Electronica Co., in addition to a more unique facial recognition scanner for unlocking the phone in lieu of a fingerprint. Apple introduced the device alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in September.

Bloomberg/San Francisco/Beijing

Baidu Asks Investors To Keep The Faith After Outlook Disappoints

Baidu Inc. is asking investors for patience, after forecasting lower-than-expected revenue and warning that its driverless car platform will not yield earnings in the near future.
China's biggest search giant predicted sales of 22.23 billion yuan to 23.41 billion yuan  (US$3.34 to $3.52 billion) in the December quarter, failing short of the 24.8 billion yuan projected.
That stemmed in part from self-imposed ad and content curbs around a politically-sensitive gathering of China's Communist Party leadership in October. Shares tumbled as much as 15 percent.
The miss comes at a critical time for Baidu, which is attempting to turn around its business after a difficult 2016. Profits fell for the first time since the company listed thanks to heavy spending on services like food deliveries, rising competition from the likes of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., and a healthcare ad scandal that slashed its pool of advertisers.
Rivals Tencent Holdings Lyd. and Sohu.com Inc.'s Sogou are also angling for a greater share of search advertising.
While Baidu's been telling investors that the worst is behind it, the total number of active online marketing customers fell 7 percent to 486,000 in the third quarter.
"We are seeing a secular change in the market where revenue is going from search engines to social media," said Kirk Boodry, an analyst with New Street Reaearch.
"Leadership in AI isn't really driving revenue improvements. We're hearing on one hand there's really stong capability in AI and it's just amazing, and on the other hand the financial results just don't support it."
Baidu Group president Qi Lu called on investors to look beyond short-term pain as the search giant streamlines its business to focus on artificial intelligence.
The company has recently sold several revenue-generating units like food delivery and gaming, dumping loss-makers with few prospects of being improved with AI.
"We're probably in the second of third innings," he told analysts on a conference call, referring to Baidu's progress in using AI to boost and monetize the business. "There's a long trajectory ahead of us."
Baidu's fourth quarter forecast comes days after the wrap of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a tightly managed affair held in Beijing every five years.
Chinese political gatherings can cause ripples throughout the economy from factory closures to dampened spending with adverrtising restrictions encompassing both the number and types that can be displayed.
Chief financial officer Herman Yu said both Baidu and its video streaming subsidiary cut certain types of ads and content "to show our respect" for the event.
Since former Microsoft Corp. executive Lu took the helm in January, Baidu has sold its food delivery unit Waimai to Alibaba backed rival Ele.me, and opened up its driverless car technology to dozens of industry partners.
IQiyi, its Netflix-like streaming video service, is targeting a United States listing, people familiar with the matter have said.
Baidu is now fighting to convince disillusioned shareholders to back its costly long-term investment in AI and autonomous vehicles.
Spending on research and development rose 24 percent to 3.2 billion yuan from a year earlier. Content' costs also sky-rocketed in the quarter, rising 76 percent to 3.9 billion yuan thanks mostly to iQiyi.
But Yu told investors not to expect gains from its Apollo autonomous car platform or voice assistant DuerOS in the near future.
Baidu reported net income of 7.9 billion yuan during the three months that ended September, compared with the 3.88 billion yuan projected. Sales hit 23.5 billion yuan, matching analysts' estimates. Its US shares slid to as low as $221 in extended trading, after closing at $260.62 in New York.

David Ramli
Bloomberg/Beijing

Japanese Movie 'The Lowlife' Tackles Porn Taboo

The director of a controversial new Japanese movie depicting the plight of three conflicted porn actresses is hoping his film will help eliminate what he calls "prejudice" against the industry.
Takahisa Zeze's The Lowlife, an adaptation of a novel by erotic actress Mana Sakura, which brings a hearty dollop of kitchen-sink realism to the porn business as it documents the trio's day-to-day struggles, premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival this week.
"The movie is about people searching for their place in the world, for their identity," Zeze told AFP in an interview.
"I don't think there was an urgent sense of wanting to destroy taboos when we set out to make the film. But hopefully it can go some way to helping break down the prejudices that still exist towards porn.
"When we were auditioning for the film, for example, some actresses turned down the roles," he added. "They were okay with just taking their clothes off but they didn't feel comfortable about playing a porn star."
While Zeze's touching work tugs at the heart-strings, viewers expecting a moral twist will be disappointed - the movie studiously avoids criticizing the adult video (AV) industry, leaving it open to accusations it whitewashes the issue of exploitation.
The action sticks largely to the human drama, never really sliding into darker territory.
Even when frustated housewife Miho (Ayano Moriguchi) awkwardly makes her debut as a porn actress, there is no hint of the conventional wisdom that the industry preys on such women.
"In my heart maybe I didn't want to focus on the murkier side of the business," said the book's author Sakura.
"Obviously not everyone is happy, like in most jobs," added the 24-year-old former bikini model.
"But not everyone is unhappy either. I feel that people too often want to draw the conclusion that all AV actresses are unhappy. Well, I'm not unhappy and I wanted to concentrate more on daily life, more on daily life, more on the light than the dark."
Zeze's minimalist approach and use of hand-held cameras lends an almost voyeuristic feel  to a movie heavy on raw emotion.
"I was looking to create a documentary effect," said Zeze, best known for his work in 'pink eiga' (softcore porn).
"I didn't want it to look like a work of fiction. The point was to show the regular side of life, rather than just the salacious part of the business," he added.
"Sexuality used to be taboo, but that's no longer the case - we're trying to show that porn is a common form of sexual desire. It's part of our daily lives."
While ambitious in its attempt to try and normalize Japan's US$20 billion AV industry, The Lowlife arguably succeeds in adding some perspective.
Ayano (Kokone Sasaki) throws herself into a swimming pool in a suicide attempt after being confronted by her angry mother, but survives and in the movie's final scene resolves to continue her career.
"The way I see that final scene on the roof is that it's her choice to carry on doing porn," said Sasaki.
"It ends with her arriving at a point where she can stand up tall and rather than feel guilty anymore, her heart has found a home."
Sakura makes no apology for taking the path of least resistance.
"There have been all sorts of tell-all books about the world of AV," she said. "But porn actresses are also just normal women who lead normal daily lives.
"Every year thousands of women make their debut in porn," added Sakura.
"The girl next door could be a porn actress, or young friends could be. And while you can't avoid stereotypes, hopefully this movie can help change perceptions a little bit."

Alastair Himmer
Agence France-Presse/Tokyo

Secret Superstar The Internet Idol

Indian producer Aamir Khan's latest movie, Secret Superstar, brings a fresh touch to the Bollywood film industry.
Amir has made a name for himself with his approach to various social issues in his movies. Aside from producing movies, he also hosts a well-known talk show, Satyamev Jayate, which discusses public problems.
Secret Superstar is the story of a teenager called Insia Malik, who dreams of becoming a famous singer.
Her mother, Najma Malik (Meher Vij), supports her passion for singing but lives in fear because of her abusive husband Farookh Malik's (Raj Arjun) horrific conservatism.
Farookh insists that Insia focus on her school education, so that she can marry a man he chooses.
The movie begins with Najma buying a laptop for Insia, a gadget that cause a big change in their lives after it reaches the hands of her daughter.
Insia showcases her singing talent online, covering herself with a burka to disguise herself from her father. She becomes an instant superstar without the knowledge of her father. In the process, mother and daughter bond more closely because of their collective objective.
Written and directed by Advait Chandan, the movie touches on numerous social problems still very much alive in villages of India.
Physical violence, forced marriage and abortion of baby girls are some of those issues.
The first half of the movie may be on the slow side, as Advait introduces his characters and their problems, but he makes it up in the secong half, culminating in a unique ending.
He also succeeds in opening layers of issues subtly, as in how Insia realizes the many sacrifices her mother has made for her.
He does not point it out all at once, so the viewers have something to look forward to after the intermission. This is Advait's debut film, but he has already showcased his talent by keeping the audience engaged in the story.
While some of the cast are not well known, Aamir's presence as a blunt singing contest judge is appealing and entertaining.
Aamir's character is the highlight of the movie, which not only helps Insia realize her dream, but also helps her resolve the domestic issues at home.
Newcomer Zaira Wasim plays her role as a 15-year-old emotional teenager up to the mark of an acclomplished actress.
She portrays sense of maturity - which was highly required by her character - and shows off her natural temper.
Meher Vij, who grew to fame in the movie Bajarangi Bhajaan playing the role of a Pakistani mother who lost her deaf daughter, hypnotizes the audience with her performance as a naive, succumbing wife and mother.
She manages to balance her character as a weak natured woman who turna stronger in the latter part of the movie.
More amazing is Raj Arun, who maintains the same cruel face throughout the movie. His character serves as a convincing villain who hates his wife and finds an excuse every now and then to beat her up.
Secret Superstar is not your usual Bollywood movie with awesome picturesque scenery and Bollywood musical grandeur, but the social message are enough to fill your eyes with tears.
Bring a handkerchief to the movie theater.

Directed by Advait Chandan
Written by Advait Chandan
Screenplay by Advait Chandan
Starring: Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij, Raj Arjun and Aamir Khan
Running time: 150 minutes

Aruna Harjani
Contributor/Jakarta

Green Trail of Ansan Embracing Seoulites Seeking Quick Getaway

Ancient wisdom of Korea suggest that an area facing the waters with a mountain on its back is the perfect place to reside.
As such, Seoul is surrounded by mountains and has the Han River running in front of its centuries-old capital region.
Mount Ansan's Jarak-gil, located in the western part of the metropolis, provides easy-access to mother nature for city-dwellers.
Jarak-gil refers to the mountainside roads located at the foot of mountains. Walking alongside them is comparable to somewhere between hiking and a stroll, as the slopes are not steep but offer some challenges for those looking for light exercise.
AnsanJarak-gil spans acros several districts of Seoul, and extends to halfway up the 295-meter mountain. The most accessible entry point is the bus stop near Seodaemun-gu Public Health Center or Seodaemun-gu Office in Yeonhee-dong.
Or one could access it via Dongnimmum Station (Line No.3), Exit No.5. One of the nearest parking areas is across the Hongjye-stream, which costs 20,000 won for all-day parking.
The trail spans across seven kilometers but there are several access points along the way, meaning visitors can decide to walk only parts of the trail. The whole trail takes about 150 minutes.
Most of the trail consist of a wooden pathway, which park officials say allows visitors to easily carry wheelchairs or baby strollers. But one should note that while there are no steep slopes, the hike up the trail can be physically taxing for those visitors.
Observatories stationed every now and then give a spectacular view of Seoul; you can spot landmarks like Gwanghwamun, Cheong WaDae, Han River and the 63 building on Yeouido glittering to the sunset.
There are also seasonal events, such as Autumn Maple Road Walk that will take place this Saturday. The event kicka off at 8 p.m. behind Seodaemun-gu office and invites participants to enjoy the nature along the Jarak-gil.
The trail transforms with seasons, as the Jarak-gil blushes scarlet with maple leaves in autumn and pink with cherry blossoms in spring.
Among several attractions of the trail includes Cherry Blossom Library, which is not far off from the entrance point. It has benches, books and some shade for visitors.
Along the way other surprises like the herb garden and Metasequoia trees reaching straight for the sky greet strollers.
If you are looking for a quiet place to take a break, you can visit Bongwon-sa Temple.
The historic landmark of Seodaemun Prison is also near the entrance point near Dongnimmun Station (Line No. 3).

Yoon Minsik/ANN/The Korea Herald

Barca Reserves Cruise Towards Cup Last 16

A much-changed Barcelona made light work of third-tier Real Murcia to take a commanding 3-0 lead into the second leg of their Copa del Rey last 32 tie on Tuesday.
With the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta handed the night off, Paco Alcacer, Gerard Deulofeu and Jose Manuel Arnaiz, on his debut, took their chance to grab the goals for the holders.
"I'm happy because today we played with people from the B team and those that haven't played as much and it was a good test for them," Barca coach Ernesto Valverde told beIN Sports Spain.
Barca have now won 12 and drawn one of their last 13 games in all competitions, but took their time to break down their humble hosts.
Indeed, Murcia should have gone in front when Fernando Llorente blasted over from inside the area midway through the first half.
Alcacer headed home his first goal since netting in last season's Cup final a minute before half-time from Deulofeu's looping cross.
The former Everton winger scored his first Barca goal against Malaga at the weekend and quickly added a second with a fine individual run and finish seven minutes after the break.
Arnaiz was the only one of Barca's youngstera who have shone for Barca B this season in the second division, a tier above Murcia, to be handed a debut by Valverde from the start.
And the 22-year-old showed why when he cut inside to fire into the far corner from outside the area four minutes later.
"He's a confident player," added Valverde.
With the second leg at the Camp Nou in just over a month's time now a formality, Barca can concentrate on maintaining their four-point La Liga lead and securing a place in the last 16 of the Champions League before the Cup continues in January.
Valencia, Barca's closest  challengers in La Liga, continued their fine form as Rodrigo and Dani Parejo, from the penalty spot, struck in the final nine minutes to secure a 2-0 first-leg lead at Real Zaragoza.
Sevilla shrugged off three straight defeats to cruise towards the last 16 with a 3-0 win at Cartagena. Eduardo Berizzo's men had shipped nine goals in being trashed at Spartak Moscow and Valencia in the past week.
However, first-half goals from Pablo Sarabia and Joaquin Correa settled their nerves before Luis Muriel rounded off the scoring six minutes into the second period.
Malaga's search for a win this season continues, however, as they conceded twice in stoppage time to lose 2-1 at second-division Numancia.
Recio's free-kick had put the top-flight side, who have just one point from their first nine league games, in front.
Numancia didn't level until the 93rd minute through Nacho Sanchez, but there was still time for Alberto Escassi to hand them a lead to defend at La Rosaleda in five week's time.
Another late goal from Christian Santos handed Alaves a 1-0 win at Getafe.

Kieran Canning
Agence France-Presse/Madrid

PSG's Khelaifi Grilled Over World Cup Bid

Swiss prosecutors on Wednesday began grilling Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president and beIN Media chief Nasser al-Khelaifi over allegations that he obtained World Cup media rights by bribing a top FIFA executive.
Khelaifi, a Qatari with close ties to the Gulf state's royal family, is under investigation for allegedly striking illegal deals with disgraced former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, who had been Sepp Blatter's right-hand man.
"We began the interrogation of the accused person at about 9:45 am(0745) this morning here at the Office of the Attorney general of Switzerland (OAG)," prosecution spokesman Andre Marty said.
"It will take hours due to translation issues but also due to the many questions we have and we are looking forward to the answers of the accused person," he added.
Khelaifi, 43, and his legal team avoided the main entrance when entering the OAG headquarters in the Swiss capital and were not seen by the roughly two dozen reporters gathered outside.
Khelaifi and Valcke have been under investigation since March in connection with media rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups on allegiations including corruption, bribery, criminal mismanagement and forgery of a document.
Authorities in France, Greece, Italy and Spain have cooperated with the Swiss probe, including by raiding properties.
But the AOG only went public with the case on October 12.
Khelaifi's high-profile French lawyer, Francis Szpiner, then swiftly announced that his sports tycoon client "denies any corruption" and "wanted to be heard as soon as possible" by Swiss prosecutors.
But deQatar,  Khelaifi's eagerness to be questioned, his case may still move slowly as Switzerland has a track record of taking its time with major corruption probes.
Bern opened an investigation targeting ex-FIFA boss Blatter in September 2015, but there are no indications that the case is ready for court.
The beIN Media group, which is headquartered in Doha, has insisted that its World Cup rights deals were "advantageous for FIFA," rejecting any suggestion that it got favorable treatment.
The contract covers broadcasting rights for the MENA (Middle East, North Africa) region for the tournaments.
The Qatar broadcaster's offices in Paris have been raised at the request of Swiss authorities.
A raid was also carried out at a luxury Sardinian villa that, it is alleged, was put at the disposal of Valcke, who is serving a 10-year ban from all soccer-related activity.
The villa, set in lush grounda on the Mediterranian island and which has an estimated value of €7 million (US$8.3 million), is owned by an international real estate agency.
Valcke, a 53-year-old French sports newspaper L'Equipe that he "received nothing from Nasser."
An increasingly prominent figure in sports and media, Khelaifi oversaw PSG's 222 million-euro ($264 million) world record signing of Brazilian superstar Neymar in August.
PSG, who were bought by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, are not implicated in the Swiss investigation.
The corruption accusations are the latest to rock world football which is still reeling from the events of 2015, when FIFA officials were arrested en masse at the governing body's annual conference.
They are also the latest allegations to target Qatar.
The Gulf state has found itself routinely accused of corruption since controversially winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup, charges it has always denied.

Ben Simon
Agence France-Presse/Bern

Anne Frank Photo Whips Up Storm In Italian Soccer

A minute'a silence will be held and a passage from Anne Frank's diary will be read before games in Italy this week in response to acts of anti-Semitism by Lazio fans, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said.
The FIGC announced that a minute's silence will be observed before Serie A, B and C matches during the week and amateur and youth games over the weekend.
A passage from Frank's diary will also be read before games to keep alive memories of the Holocaust, while referees and captains will give a copy of the diary to child mascots accompanying players onto pitches.
In addition, an image of Frank will be put on Lazio's shirts for Wednesday's Serie A game at Bologna to show their fight against "all forms of racism and anti-Semitism," the club said.
During Sunday's league game against Cagliari, Lazio fans defaced the Stadio Olimpico, which they share with rivals Roma, with anti-Semitic slogans and stickers showing images of Frank.
The Jewish teenager, who died in Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen in 1945, was depicted wearing a jersey of their hated city rivals.
The image have whipped up a storm in Italian football with the Roman club announcing they also intend to take youngsters every year to visit the former Nazi camp at Auschwitz, in Poland.
"This is not football, this is not sport. Get anti-Semitism out of stadiums," responded Ruth Dureghello, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, on Twitter.
Italian president Sergio Mattarela on Tuesday personally called Interior Minister Marco Minniti to ensure that those responsible would be identified and "permanently banned from stadiums."
Mattarella said that using the image of Frank "as well as being inhumane, is alarming for our country which suffered 80 years ago from the cruelty of anti-Semitism."
"It is something incredible, un-acceptable not to be minimized and not to be underestimated," said Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, while in Strasbourg, European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani stressed that anti-Semitism belonged "in the last century."
Lazio president Claudio Ranieri paid a visit to the Rome Synagogue bringing a floral wreath  to remember all victims of anti-Semitism.
"Today we intend to reaffirm our position once again with this clear and unequivocal gesture - no one can use Lazio in this way," said Lotito.
"Most of our fans are with us against anti-Semitism," stressed Lotito. He explained that Lazio would also be undertaking a series of initiatives such as visits by players to schools to educate on respecting rules and stamping out racism and social barriers.
Lazio's ultras were housed in the south end of the ground normally reserved for Roma supporters for Sunday's game, their own north end having been closed following racist chants during a match earlier this month.

Emmeline Moore
Agence France-Presse/Milan

Spurs Targeting 'Real Trophies' : Pochettino

Winning the Premier and the Champions League is the priority for Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino as he considers them "real trophies" rather than domestic cup competitions, the Argentine coach has said.
Tottenham finished in the league's top three during the last two seasons and Pochettino's side are currently placed third in the league. They are tied at the top of Group H with Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The North London side's most recent trophy was a League Cup triumph in 2008.
"Our objective is to try to win the Premier League and the Champions League. For me, two real trophies," Pochettino told reporters ahead of Wednesday's League Cup match against West Ham United.
"That can really change your life. And then the FA Cup, of course, I would like to win.
"I would like to win the Carabao Cup. But I think it will not change the life of Tottenham. If you want to be a big team and if you want to fight for big things, it's impossible if you don't use all the squad and rotate in England."
The Argentinian boss is likely to use the League Cup game as a chance to rotate his squad they prepare to travel to second-placed Manchester United in the league on Saturday.

Reuters/London

EPL 'Big Six' Thwarted In Bid For TV Cut

The Premier League 'Big Six' clubs have been stopped in their bid to gain a greater share of the English top fligt's lucrative overseas television deals, it was announced Tuesday.
Currently, the money from the globally popular Premier League makes from foreign broadcasting deals is shared evenly between the 20 clubs in the division.
But the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur - the so-called 'Big Six' - argued their greater worldwide popularity entitled them to a bigger cut.
Earlier this month it was decided further talks were needed on amending the league's rules, but a statement issued by the Premier League on Tuesday said a planned meeting had been canceled after it had "become clear that there is currently no consensus for change."
A two-thirds majority would be needed to change the current set-up, meaning 14 clubs would have to be in favor, and Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore had come up with a compromise plan which would see 35 percent of the overseas rights shared out according to final league position - a similiar scheme is used to allocate domestic broadcast revenues.
But with overseas income growing at a faster rate than that being generated domestically, many clubs were concerned about the possible impact of any change.
Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins highlighted the need to maintain competitiveness between the bigger and smaller clubs in his programme notea for the home match against Hudderafield Town earlier this month.
"In my opinion, competitiveness is the most important single factor that makes the Premier League so appealing across the world - and this must be protected at all costs," he wrote.

AFP/London

Cyprus Struggles To Manage Waste As Tourist Numbers Soar

Tourists on a crowded, sun-drenched beach in the Cypriot resort of Ayia Napa tossed drinks cans into recycling bins as a record-breaking holiday season drew to a close.
With more visitors heading to Cyprus than ever, the Mediterranian island's waste disposal system is under pressure, despite efforts to cut landfill use and encourage recycling, waste management and tourism, experts say.
Panicos Michael, manager of the five-star Alion Beach Hotel in Ayia Napa, said the rising number of visitors raised major issues.
"I think that this will be a big challenge for the island in general to cope with the increased amount of waste that's going to be produced," he said.
Cyprus - seen as a regional safe spot shielded from the unrest that has hit other popular Mediterranian destinations - hosted a record 3.2 million visitors last year and looks set to top that by eight percent in 2017, official figures ahow.
In response, authorities and tourism executives are backing efforts to separate waste and send as much as possible away from landfill sites and towards recycling.
Cyprus landfilled some 79 percent of its municipal waste in 2013, according to the latest figure available on Eurostat, far above the European Union average of just 28 percent.
Michael said his hotel had cut landfill output per guest by half since it introduced waste separation in 2003.
The hotel divides glass, paper, plastic, metal, drinks cartons and other categories for recycling.
The Ayia Napa municipality aims to offer organic waste collection from hotels by spring 2018.
It has also installed recycling bins in visitor hotspots such as the waterfront directly below the Alion Beach Hotel.
Russian holidaymaker Helen Mikhaylenko, who works for an industrial equipment importer in Moscow, praised the scheme.
"People drink a lot of beer and they should divide," the 23-year-old said in English, wearing sunglasses and a black bikini.
"It's a very good idea because rubbish is one of the global problems and it is solved in Ayia Napa."
Tourism and waste management experts say waste output per person in Cyprus is heavily inflated by tourist arrivals.
Kyriakos Parpounas of Green Dot, a waste management firm that deals with the vast majority of recycling in Cyprus, said tourists' waste output was equivalent to adding 300,000 permanent residents to the country's 866,000 population.
Cyprus has much improved ita waste management since 2005, when Green Dot was founded in response to a new European Union law demanding better sorting and recycling, he said.
Green Dot has run a series of school and media campaigns encouraging Cypriots to "reduce, re-use and recycle."
But the country still only recycles 19 percent of its waste, far lower than the European average of 44 percent.
"We began from stratch, there was no infrastructure," Parpounas said. "There was no sorting on the island. There was no sorting culture at all."
He was speaking at one of two Green Dot sorting warehouses in Cyprus.
On a bleak industrial estate on the outskirts of Nicosia, it handles around half the island's recycling, some 12 tonnes a day.
A digger shovelled mountains of refuse into a container where a rumbling conveyor belt heaved the waste into a warehouse nextdoor.
Around 15 workers stood at the belt, sorting plastic bottles and drinks cans and cardboard scraps into separate bins.
Warhouse manager Andreas Andreou said a fifth of the supposedly recyclable wastre arriving at the plant still had to go to landfill because non-recyclable waste arriving at the plant still had to go to landfill because non-recyclable waste crept in.
The day before, workers had even found a dead dog.
Parpounas said more efforts were needed if the country was to meet the EU target of recycling half of its municipal waste by 2020.
"We are missing a lot of important tools that would actually drive people and create the culture of sorting," he said.
Green Dot presented a list of 10 demands to the government when it was set up in 2005.
Some 12 years later, seven have yet to be fulfilled, Parpounas said.
In particular, he urged the government to introduce a "pay as you throw" scheme to encourage sorting, and to introduce a landfill tax.
Environtment department director Costas Hadjipanayiotou said the government was working to push people to recycle more but that the proportion of waste going to landfill was still "a huge number."
"Cyprus is landfilling so much waste because (...) we are still late in establishing the appropriate infrastructure and cultivating the culture, but also the infrastructure is not in place," he said.
Tourism officials say recycling efforts make economic sense.
Philippos Drousiotis, of the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative, said both hotels and guests had welcomed efforts such as cutting use of plastic bottles.
"The sustainable tourist is good for business," he said. "It's a good opportunity to reduce their costs."
Muscovite holidaymaker Kate Tsurkanova, standing next to a beach near the centre of Ayia Napa, said she was pleased tourists could now separate their rubbish for recycling.
"It's perfect, actually I have just started doing it myself in Russi," she said. "I wish there were more bins like that everywhere."

Paul Raymond and Emily Irving-Swift
Agence France-Presse/Ayia Napa, Cyprus

Clubs Could Face High Price For Stars' Tax Affairs: Experts

Premier League club risk the possibility of demotion and being prosecuted under the new Criminal Finance Act, a leading city firm told AFP.
Under the new law, which came into force on September 30, any company, which includes soccer clubs, can be held responsible for their employees or agents with whom they do business if tax evasion becomes an issue.
The new legislation places the onus firmly on clubs to carry out due diligence on players and agents, says Tom Shave, partner in business tax at Smith & Williamson, the accountancy, investment management and tax group.
"If a case goes to a jury the reputational damage is already done. Being seen as a facilitator of tax evasion in the current environtment is viewed dimly," he told AFP in an interview at the firm's city headquarters.
"It depends how the English Premier League see it if you have a criminal prosecution in relation to your activity.
"This criminal prosecution for tax evasion remains to be tested as it has just come in but you would imagine there are implications for a club should such a case proceed."
Peter Fairchild, also a partner at Smith & Williamson, with a long list of top level footballers as clients, says the EPL might take a very dim view if one of their members was found  to be guilty of facilitating tax evasion.
"The Premier League will want to maintain its reputation with fans and sponsors. We've seen point deductions where clubs have entered administration and parallels can be drawn," he said.
The club in question will not have planned for this and as a result will suddenly see cash payments to them being withheld which will strangle cash flow and their players needing to be paid each week."
Fairchild said many clubs don't seem yet to be aware they could be hit hard by the legislation. "It is seriously scary the criminal element of the legislation," he said.
"I am a bit surprised we haven't had more enquiries. Many clubs are only just getting to grips with the problem, perhaps thinking that it doesn't apply to them or that there is a short cut.
"But there is no short cut. (The tax authorities) will come and ask their questions and if you don't have a robust defense the weight of legislation will be used against you."
Fairchild sees the forthcoming transfer window in January being even more hectic and intense with the new legislation having come into effect.
"When it comes to Jan. 31 those clubs that are struggling, or trying to get deals done, won't want to be told have you taken the time to go through the proper process and complied with the check list regarding the player they are targeting.
"The only thing a Premier League club, battling for survival, will want to do is buy a key player and preserve their EPL status.
"The prepared clubs will be asked key questions such as 'have you done this due diligence?'.
"They'll speak to external parties and potentially hire additional staff. Those clubs who don't take it seriously could find themselves facing an HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) investigation in a year or two.
"If that investigation finds problems then they could suffer an unlimited fine."

Pirate Irwin
Agence France-Presse/London

Real Travels To Girona In Eye Of Political Storm

After watching Barcelona copes ably with the distraction of political tension sweeping across Spain in recent weeks, it is Real Madrid's turn to head into the eye of the storm on Sunday when it travels to Girona.
It is the European champions' first trip to Catalonia since violence marred a separatist called independence referendum for the region on Oct. 1 that has sparked weeks of political chaos.
The atmosphere surrounding Real's first ever top-flight visit to Girona, a heartland of pro-independence support, could be further intensified should the Spanish government follow through with plans this weekend to seize Catalonia's autonomous powers in an attempt to stave off a declaration of independence.
But the protagonists insist they are preparing solely with the 90 minutes on the pitch in mind.
"We will have the security there as always to play a soccer match, nothing more," said Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane. "We are thinking solely about the match as always and not about what could happen around it."
As is normal on trips to Catalonia, Real will not use its official team bus for fear of reprisals.
"It won't be the first time that this has happened and there is no need to give it any further importance," Real's Director of Institutional Relations, Emiliano Butragueno, told Spanish sports daily Marca.
"Real Madrid are a soccer club and we will only talk about the football - that is all we focus on, to win and to make our fans happy."
Fresh from picking up FIFA's award for the best player of 2017, Cristiano Ronaldo will be one of number of Real stars to return after being rested for Real's Copa del Rey last 32, first leg at third-tier Fuenlabrada on Thursday.
Gareth Bale once again missed out through injury, altough there is hope the Welshman could return from a calf problem in time to face his old side Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Political distractions aside, Real remains in need of the points in Girona in its chase of Barcelona, which travels to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday hoping to open up an eight-point lead over its rival.
Barca boss Ernesto Valverde returns to San Mames for the first time since swapping Bilbao for Barcelona in June.
"No matter where you have made your career or where you have played, everyone has the club they are most defined by and mine clearly is Athletic," Valverde told Barcelona's website.
"The first time you go back you try to concentrate on your own team because if you go around shaking hands with everyone you forget there is a game and three very important points at stake."
Valverde's influence at both Barca and Athletic has been noted in the first few months of the campaign.
Whilst the Catalans have won 12 and drawn one of their last 13 games in all competitions, the Basques have just one win in 11 and have slipped to 11th in the table.
Atletico Madrid is better placed just six points back on Barcelona in fourth, but has been dogged by a lack of ruthlesness in front of goal all season as they await the return of club record signing Diego Costa in Januari.

Kieran Canning
Agence France-Presse/Madrid

Gimmick Or Game-Changer Is Virtual Reality The Future Or Film?

Virtual Reality will change the face of cinema in the next decade - but only if content keeps up with the advances in technology, industry experts at the Busan Intermational Film Festival predict.
VR is already being heavily promoted by the tech giants, with Facebook and Microsoft launching new headsets they hope will ensure the format goes mainstream.
Studios and film-makers are also poised to capitalize, as cinema industry reports estimate VR could generate as much as US$75 billion a year in revenues by 2021.
Earlier this year, the IMAX chain opened its first VR cinema in Los Angeles, while the leading film festivals - including Cannes, Venice, and Tribeca - now have sections dedicated to recognizing ground-breaking work in the medium.
"Facebook and Apple are pouring billions of dollars into this industry and these hardware develpments are key but it will all come down to content and we are excited by the way that is developing," explained Korean-American filmmaker Eugene Chung, whose production "Arden's Wake" won the Best Virtual Reality award at Venice in September.
Chung insisted the format is going to shift public perception and expectations of cinema.
"We're really building the future," he said.
But revolutions in cinema do not always play out; despite their early hype, 3D movies have struggled to rival traditional film consumption.
IMAX has scaled back its 3D screenings, while box office figures in the United States show declining audience interest, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
But proponents of VR insist this time, it is different, and the format is likely to succeed because it fully immerses viewers in th imaginary environtment.
BIFF programmer Park Jin, who organised the event's VR section, which comprises more than 30 features, documentaries and animations, described VR as the "future of cinema."
In Busan there has been a huge buzz around the VR programme, with constant queues to experience what is on offer - both individual booths and a cinema are show-casing films.
"It feels a bit strange at first, a bit like a game, but once I got used to the equipment it was quite exciting," said 60-year-old Kim Young-min, who had come to BIFF to take in a retrospective of legendary Korean actor Shin Seong-il but had been lured over to the VR show by her daughter.
Experts say there-in lies the catch - the "computer game" feel to some shows can be a little off-putting.
"We need to find some emotion and how to engage the viewer in that," said filmmaker Che Min-Hyuk, a producer at the VR Lab run by Korean media industry giants CJ.
"As filmmakers with VR we still don't really know how far it will take us and the audience."
Chung conceded the industry needs to tread carefully - going to the movies will not be the same social experience if everyone is in their own world wearing headsets.
"We think the impact of this medium is going to be incredibly powerful," he said, admitting that it would be a voyage into the unknown in terms of social impact.
"There's a first spaceship factor. When video games came out I think we as a society underestimates their impact so there are definitely things we need to look out for in VR in the coming years." But film giants are embracing the challenge.
At the Cannes festival this year Oscar-winner Alejandro G. Inarritu showcased his VR production "Meat and Sand," whike Warner Bros created a trailer in the format to promote Stephen King adaptation 'It'.
Dreamscape Immersion, whose investors include Steven Spielberg, 21st Century Fox, and Metro-Goldwin-Mayer, last month signed a deal with AMC Entertainment, the world's largest theatre chain, to rollout "Virtual Reality Multiplexes" where members explore storylines in virtual worlds and interact with other people's avatars.
Director Jerome Blanquet, whose film "Alteration" wom an award at the Tribeca Film Festival, said: "VR is like a dream. You can walk, you can fly, you can do anything."

Mathew Scott
Agence France-Presse/Busan, South Korea

Canon Introduces Upgraded EOS 6D DSLR

Current advancements in technology and digital photography pose a challenge to camera manufacturers to offer more innovations and modifications.
In an effort to serve photography enthusiasts in Indonesia, Canon, one of the world's leading digital camera producers, introduced its latest generation digital single lens reflex (DLSR) camera, the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, during a recent press tour in Malang, East Java.
Although its specifications differ from those of the Canon EOS 6D launched five years ago, the Canon EOS 6D Mark II remains a full-frame camera that is fairly lightweight.
The most noticeable physical difference between the Canon EOS 6D Mark II and its predecessor is the new Timelapse 4K function that makes it unnecessary to use a remote cable as it can be directly set from the camera. This function enables the user to add dramatic moments and effects to the film with picture bits taken in the time lapse mode, like sunrises, shifting clouds and traffic jams.
"The other physical distinction is the Canon EOS 6D Mark II's three inch multiple angle liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch screen sensor, so that the user can produce creative photos at various angles. The camera also has a high degree of clarity and details of the pictures snapped," the marketing manager of Canon Image Communication Product Division, PT Datascrip, Yase Defirsa Cory, said. "The LCD can turn 360 degrees that is useful for photos or videos to form low-angle compositions. It also has a touch screen function suitable for making video blogs."
In terms of the sensor, the camera features a full-frame complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) with a resolution of 26.2 megapixels to produce high quality photos and it also applies dual pixel CMOS AF technology that enables users to focus on objects and snap them quickly.
In addition, the digital imaging integrated circuit (DIGIC) 7 processor inside the camera facilitates shooting to create attractive pictures at a high ISO level under minimum lightning. Its ISO rate reaches 40,000 and can be raised to 102,400, thus allowing it to aim during dimly lit and night time settings with ease.
The camera also comes with a RGB+IR 7560-pixel metering sensor and AF (auto focus) system for color detection that are consistent and accurate in focusing under various lightning conditions.
The aberration correction regulator feature allows the camera to automatically detect if the lens is fixed and correct distortions and diffractions at the time of taking pictures.
The AF system comes with 45 focus points so that the camera can take quick pictures at 6.5 fps (frames per second) in the continuous shot mode and 4.0 fps in the live view. This capacity gives photographers a lot of freedom to shoot moving targets. However, some users said the camera was still incapable of capturing images of fast sports.
Apart from taking pictures, the Canon EOS 6D Mark II also records videos with 60p Full HD resolution.
The camera's dual pixel CMOS AF technology enables quick and the fine focus changing during shooting, in both live view and movie modes. The user only needs to push the area to be recorded through the LCD touch screen.
Canon also includes a movie digital IS five-axis feature that can reduce vibrations and jolts when the photographer walks and shoots.
Sadly, however, Canon hasn't yet upgraded its video resolution to 4K for EOS 6D Mark II. New 4K technology in a camera allows the user to record videos in high detail without fear of losing the image quality when editing them.
The Canon EOS 6D Mark II has wireless technology as featured in its near field communication (NFC) and Wi-Fi that facilitate photo and video file transfers from the camera to various supporting gadgets, as well as low-energy Bluetooth for various operations from picture viewing to remote photographing and recording. Its GPS receiver memorizes shooting locations and the user can share locations with other EOS 6D Mark II operators.
The Canon EOS 6D Mark II current price stands at Rp 28.5 million (US$2,100). Customers need to invest more if they want to combine the camera with lenses.
"We hope the Canon EOS 6D Mark II can win the market of DSLR full-frame cameras in Indonesia," Noriko Gunji, the preaident and chief executive officer of Canon Singapore Pty Ltd., said.
Along with EOS 6D Mark II, Canon also presented its newest EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM lens that it is selling for Rp 21.5 million. It is said to be capable of producing quality pictures and a blur effect on photo backgrounds to make them more refined and beautiful. The lens is compact and light-weight with a dustproof and waterproof casing.
For perfect picture qualitu from the central point to the edges of a photo, the elemental optic technology of the aspheric lens will correct distortions and curves. Moreover,air sphere coating (ASC) technology can minimize ghosting and flaring, which is effective when taking pictures in a position facing a light source.
The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM lens can also detect the use of a tripod so that it will automatically stop the IS function, which makes the user save battery consumption.

P.J. Leo
The Jakarta Post/Malang, East Java

Real And Atletico Keep The Pressure On Liga Leaders

A Marco Asensio-inspired Real Madrid crushed Eibar 3-0 to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to five points on Sunday, with Karim Benzema starting on the bench.
Asensio forced an own goal and scored the second as Madrid moved up to third place with 20 points, one behind second-placed Valencia and one ahead of Atletico Madrid, who beats Celta Vigo 1-0 away thanks to a Kevin Gameiro strike.
Barcelona defeated Malaga 2-0 at the Nou Camp on Saturday while Valencia trashed visitors Sevilla 4-0.
Asensio, picked ahead of France striker Benzema to partner a subdued Cristiano Ronaldo up front, sparkled as Real made light work of the visiting Basque side, who are 16th.
Paulo Oliveira headed Asensio's crosa into his own goal in the 18th minute, before the forward volleyed home the second goal 10 minutes later from Isco's ball.
Substitute Marcelo added the third in the 82nd with a low drilled effort into the far corner to finish off the drubbling.
"I'm very happy with the goal but the most important thing was the result, it was a great game," Marcelo told Movistar.
"We've been doing well, people (who have criticized us) forget how difficult it is to play a game in La Liga, the best league in the world, you have to be patient."
Zinedine Zidane made five changes from the Real side which drew 1-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur in their Champions League group stage match on Tuesday.
The coach brought in Asensio for Benzema, despite his staunch defense of the Frenchman on Saturday after criticiam from former Spurs and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker among others, and the decision paid dividends.
Madrid could have taken the lead as early as the second minute when they sliced feeding Isco, whose strike was saved by Marko Dmitrovic.
The hosts went ahead when Oliveira nodded Asensio's cross past Dmitrovic under pressure from Segio Ramos after a short corner routine.
Asensio doubled the lead 10 minutes later with a vicious low volley from Isco's cross, his third La Liga goal of the season giving the hosts a comfortable cushion.
A Casemiro thunderbolt missed the top corner by inches as waves of Madrid attacks shook the Basque minnows, who countered quickly but ineffectively.
Asensio fed Isco in the second half but the Spanish playmaker was denied again, while Eibar's Takashi Inui was unfortunate not to earn a penalty when he was brought down by Casemiro.
Madrid struggled to add to their lead, with Ronaldo and Benzema, on for Asensio, both firing high over the bar when well-placed, until Marcelo found the net.
"Benzema is a great player, Cristiano scores a lot of goals," added Marcelo. "It's normal that people want more from Benzema and from everyone, but he has a lot more than goals, he's the best number nine in Europe."
Earlier, Gameiro's strike earned Atletico the points in Gallicia where Celta, in 10th spot, impressed but could not break down Diego Simeone's typically rock-solid backline.

Rik Sharma
Reuters/Madrid

Khedira Scores Hat-trick As 10-Man Juve Hits Six

Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira grabbed a hat-trick as the Serie A champiins came from behind to thump Udinese 6-2 away on Sunday despite playing for more than an hour with 10 men.
Big-spending AC Milan was also a man down before the half hour at home to lowly Genoa after their captain Leonardo Bonucci was went off for elbowing - but their game ended in a 0-0 draw.
Lazio kept pace with third-placed Juve on 22 points from nine games after Ciro Immobile scored twice in a 3-0 win over Cagliari to take his tally to 13 league goals this season.
Napoli lead the standings with 25 points after Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to second-placed Inter Milan, who have 23.
Hapless Benevento became the first side in Serie A history to lose their first nine gamea of the season as they were sunk 3-0 at home by Fiorentina, while fifth placed AS Roma recorded their 11th successive away league win, 1-0 at Torino.
Juve, who had taken one point from their previous two games, went behind to a Stipe Perica goal after eight minutes.
The champions quickly hit back as Udinese's Samir headed a corner into his own net in the 14th and Khedira headed the visitors ahead after 20 minutes.
Five minutea later, Juve forward Mario Mandzukic was booked for clashing with Ali Adnan, then insulted the referee and was immediately sent off.
Juve appeared to be on the rack when Danilo equalized for Udinese in the 48th minute but instead Daniele Rugani headed them back in front four minutes later.
That opened the floodgates, with Khedira scoring twice more before Miralem Pjanic completed the rout.
AC Milan, who were jeered off by their own fans after their stalemate, dropped to 11th with 13 points despite having spent more than €200 million (US$235.66 million) in the transfer market in the summer.
"It's an unusual moment," said Milan's under-pressure coach Vincenzo Montella. "We created more chances even we had a player less. We've stayed united and that is how we will be for the next game."
Milan were already struggling to break down Genoa when Bonucci lashed out at Aleandro Rosi with his elbow at a Milan corner, leaving the Genoa player with a deep cut on his face and needing treatment which took several minutes.
During that time the referee consulted the video replay and showed Bonucci the red card.
To their credit, Milan continued to take the match to Genoa even after they were a man down, creating numerous openings, and their spirited performance could just be enough  to save Montella.
But it could also have been much worse for the hosts if Genoa, who have six points, had taken one of several chances at the other end.
Roma moved up to fifth on 18 points after Aleksandar Kolarov scored with a 25-meter free kick in the 69th minute to extend their winning away run which began in February.
Marco Benassi, Khouma Babacar and Cyril Thereau, with a penalty, scored Fiorentina's goala as they added to bottom club Benevento's misery.
Chievo came from behind to beat 10-man Verona 3-2 in their derby, with Sergio Pelissier scoring the winner in the 73rd minute after Roberto Inglese had grabbed a first-half brace.
Verona's Argentina midfielder Bruno Zuculini had a miserable afternoon, as he was booked for giving away the free kick, which led to Inglese's first goal, conceded the penalty which led to his second and was sent off seven minutes before halftime
Sassuolo won 1-0 at SPAL despite missing a penalty and having a player sent off.

Brian Homewood
Reuters\Milan

Kane Helps Tottenham Crushes Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur brutally exposed Liverpool's defensive frailties as Harry Kane plundered two more goals in his side's 4-1 romp at Wembley on Sunday.
In front of 80,827 fans, the biggest ever Premier Leagur attedance, Kane took his league tally to eight for the season with the first and fourth goals in a clinical Spurs display.
Son Heung-min and Dele Alli were also on target for the impressive hosts, who led 3-1 at the break after a breathless first half, while Mohamed Salah's reply had briefly given Jeurgen Klopp's Liverpool side hope.
Tottenham's fourth consecutive victory, and first in the Premier League against Liverpool for five years, put them level on 20 points with second-placed Manchester United and five behind rampant leaders Manchester City.
Liverpool dropped to ninth on 13 points and has conceded 16 goals - their highest total after nine games since 1964.
"The whole game the whole result was all our fault - Tottenham was good, they needed to be good, but we made it much too easy for them," said Klopp, who reacted by hauling off hapless defender Dejan Lovren after 31 minutes.
Both sides were buoyed by superb midweek results in the Champions League with Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham team fresh from a 1-1 draw away to European champions Real Madrid and Liverpool having scored seven goals at Maribor.
It wad the home side who began in razor-sharp fashion in front of watching Argentina great Diego Maradona though, albeit aided by a porous Liverpool rearguard.
In the fourth minute, Spurs defender Kieran Trippier played Kane into acres of space and the England striker cleverly dinked the ball around goalkeeper Simon Mignolet with his right foot before guiding a shot home with his left.
Tottenham were two goals up imside 12 minutes, this time Lovren inexplicably failed to cut out Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris' long throw to allow Kane to advance  and calmly square for Son to stroke the ball home left-footed. Liverpool's defense parted again to allow Son in on goal soon afterwards but his fierce effort struck the crossbar.
Tottenham's defense dozed off in the 24th minute, enabling Salah to get between them and latch on to Jordan Henderson's pass. With Lloris slow to narrow the angle, the Egyptian scuffed his shot in off the post.
The visitors then began to enjoy the lion's share of possession but their defense continued to creak and Lovren was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberkain.
It made little difference though as Spurs took advantage of more woeful defending in first-half stoppage time. Christian Eriksen floated in a free kick which Joel Matip could only head tamely straight to Alli who volleyed past Mignolet from inside the area.
In the 56th minute, Mignolet flapped at Trippier's inswinging free kick, Jan Vertonghen'a shot was cleared off the line by Roberto Firmino but it fell to the lurking Kane who steadied himself before drilling into the corner.

Martyn Herman
Reuters/London

Scolari Expected To To Depart After Seventh Trophy

Guangzhou Evergrande players and staff tossed an emotional Luiz Felipe Scolari in the air and hailed the Brazilian coach after they sealed their seventh straight Chinese Super League (CSL) title in what is expected to be his final season in charge.
Scolari's men trashed Guizhou Zhicheng 5-1 at home on Sunday to win the CSL with two games to spare, their seventh trophy under the former Brazil, Portugal and Chelsea coach.
The 68-year-old's contract expires at the end of the season and his anticipated departure signals the end of a successful two-year stint that saw Evergrande cement their place as the best in China - despite eschewing the lavish spending of rival teams this year.
Scolari was banned from the bench on Sunday but, wearing a red Evergrande T-shirt, he took to the Tianhe Stadium pitch afterwards and was mobbed by his players and team officials, who hoisted him skywards.
"All fans supporting Evergrande should thank him for winning seven titles in two-and-a-half years," the Oriental Sports Daily quoted assistant coach Paulo Turra as saying.
Guangzhou's nearest challengers, Shanghai SIPG, are a distant nine points behind despite splashing out on the likes of Asian-record signing Oscar for €60 million from Chelsea.
Scolari also lost key midfielder Paulinho, who moved to Barcelona in August, and Turra said: "Now is different from the past. The meaning of champion is quite different from what it was in the past."
There has been no official announcement on Scolari's future, but Chinese media say the well-travelled coach is expected to depart, with the decorated Italian Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel, most recently with Borussia Dortmund, both linked with the post. Scolari's fellow Brazilian Turra said the veteran coach had put Evergrande on a pair with leading clubs around the world.

AFP/ Guangzhou

Neymar: Ref Fell For 'Marseille Theatrics'

Neymar blames the referee for "falling for Marseille's theatrics" after his sending off in Paris Saint Germain's (PSG) explosive 2-2 draw at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday.
Neymar was constantly harried and niggled by a series of fouls in the grudge game against PSG's bitter Ligue 1 rivals, and pelted by projectiles hurled by Marseille fans whilst taking corners.
The former Barcelona striker was eventually sent off for two yellow cards late on, both for retaliation with the Brazilian superstar Lucas Ocampos.
"That wasn't soccer," the world's most expensive player complained.
"The referee fell into the trap of faliing for Marseille's theatrics.
"I was the target of lots of missiles, cans, baguettes. I didn't lose my cool but I accept my mistake."
He described the heated atmosphere on the south coast as similiar to "a Champions League" night.
Tensions were running high for France's 'clasico', from which PSG fans were banned over security fears.
Supporters fought battles with police outside the ground with cars bearing Paris number plates attacked. There were 16 arrests.
PSG coach Unai Emery meanwhile urged Ligue 1 referees to make sure marquee players like Neymar were better protected.
Neymar had been excellent for PSG scoring a cool-headed equalizer and looking every inch a big game player until his rush of blood to the head and the red card with his side 2-1 down in the 88th minute. The result means PSG keep their unbeaten record atop Ligue 1 with 26 points, four ahead of Monaco on 22. Marseille are fifth on 18.

AFP/ Marseille