Best airlines for long-haul economy class flights

Etihad has been named one of the best airlines for long-haul economy class flights. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, January 17, 2015. 

In what comes as perhaps no surprise, airlines from the Middle East have been named the best carriers for long-haul economy class flights.

Carriers out of the Middle East are known for setting the standards in luxury travel. But according to experts at travel site Skift, they don’t forsake their economy class passengers either.

After looking at factors such as seat width, pitch, in-flight entertainment, menus, design and technology, analysts named Etihad and Qatar the best airlines for long-haul economy class flights, with 61 points.

The pair topped Emirates, ANA (All Nippon Airways) and Turkish Airways, which were bumped to second place by a razor-thin margin of a single point, scoring a mark of 60.

When it comes to North American carriers, American Airlines was the top performer, scoring 50 points, while Air Canada was the poorest performer, at 39 points.

Here are the top scoring carriers according to Skift:

Etihad and Qatar, 61 points
Emirates, All Nippon Airways, Turkish Airways, 60
Japan Airlines, 58
Avianca, Air China, 57
Saudi Airlines, 56. – AFP/Relaxnews, January 17, 2015.

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Cabinet accepts Zahid’s reasons for writing FBI letter, says report

The Cabinet has heard and accepted the home minister’s explanation on the letter he wrote to the Federal Bureau of Investigation advocating for gambling kingpin Paul Phua, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.

Malaysiakini reported Anifah as saying that Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi provided an explanation at a recent cabinet meeting.

In the letter, Zahid cleared Phua of being involved in a triad, and vouched for him as a "government asset" for national security projects.

"We listened to the explanation put forward by him and we had agreed to accept the explanation given," Anifah was quoted saying by the news portal.

Anifah declined to reveal what Zahid said, adding that the media should question the home minister on the subject.  

Phua, a former Macau casino junket operator, faces illegal sports betting charges in Las Vegas, Nevada, after being arrested during last year's FIFA World Cup football in Brazil. His son also faces the same charges.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday told the media that the cabinet was not aware of Zahid's letter dated December 18, 2014.

The letter only came to light when it was exposed in an article by the South China Morning Post.

No Putrajaya official has commented on the letter and Zahid himself has kept mum.

But, Umno lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, claiming that Phua's lawyers in the US had contacted him, held a press conference to say that Zahid wrote the letter at the request of the lawyers to "correct" information given by the Malaysian police to the FBI in 2008.

The police are upset as the letter contradicts their intelligence work on Phua, who they have found to be involved with the Hong Kong 14K triad.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar defended the police by saying that although the 14K did not exist in Malaysia, "there are Malaysians abroad who are known to be members of the triad".

The police also feel Zahid failed to follow procedures by not checking the facts on Phua, not obtaining legal advice before sending it, and not going through the foreign ministry as required.

Zahid has been severely condemned by opposition politicians and Malay right wing group Perkasa for acting unilaterally and abusing his office. – January 14, 20/

www.themalaysianinsider.com

admin: berdasarkan laporan berita tersebut maka benarlah surat di atas yang dihantar oleh Menteri Dalan Negeri Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi kepada FBI berhubung kes Paul Phua . In bukan cerita dongeng, ini betul-betul

Google turns smartphones into real-time translators

SAN FRANCISCO: Google began turning smartphones into real-time language translators — of both written and spoken content. 

The California-based Internet titan is hoping that, along with making it easier for people to understand one another on their travels, Google Translate will serve as a useful tool for teachers, medical personnel, police and others with important roles in increasingly multi-lingual communities. 

The company began rolling out a new version of a free Google Translate application that, in part, lets people point Android or Apple smartphones at signs, menus, recipes or other material written in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish and see it in English. 

“We’re letting you instantly translate text using your camera, so it’s way easier to navigate street signs in the Italian countryside or decide what to order off a Barcelona menu,” the Google Translate team said in a blogpost.

BEWARE OF PIRANHAS: The company began rolling out a new version of a free Google Translate application that lets people point Android or Apple smartphones at signs, menus, recipes or other material written in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish and see it in English. — AFP

The feature builds on Word Lens technology that Google acquired last year when it bought Quest Visual, a startup founded by former video game developer Otavio Good. 

Word Lens uses video mode in smartphone cameras to scan scenes, identify writing and then display it as if it were written in English, a demonstration by Good revealed. 

“If you are looking at a restaurant menu, it’s nice to see which thing on the menu you are looking at so you can point at it when you order,” Good said as he used his iPhone to scan and translate an Italian pasta recipe. 

Word Lens in Google Translate operates independent of the Internet, avoiding data charges from telecommunication service providers, he explained. 

The new Google Translate also features a conversation mode that uses voice recognition and the power of the Internet cloud to translate both sides of a chat between people speaking different languages, the demonstration showed. 

People pair any two of 38 language options, then smartphones listen in and convert them during chats. An automated voice speaks translations, which are displayed in writing on smartphone screens, while transcripts of chats can be saved. 

Computing power for translating conversations comes from Google servers, so connections to the Internet through WiFi or telecom carriers are needed. 

The team at Google is working to expand available languages and capabilities, according to Good. — AFP