Australia and S.Korea draw in Asian Cup match

South Korea's midfielder Park Ji-Sung (right) challenges Australia's midfielder Jason Culina during their 2011 Asian Cup group match in Doha. Australia and South Korea shared the spoils 1-1 in the battle of the big guns at the Asian Cup on Friday as both sides inched closer to the quarter-finals.

South Korea's defender Cha Du-Ri challenges Australia's striker Tim Cahill (right) during their 2011 Asian Cup group match in Doha. Australia and South Korea shared the spoils 1-1 in the battle of the big guns at the Asian Cup as both sides inched closer to the quarter-finals.

Australia's goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer misses the ball kicked by South Korea's midfielder Koo Ja-Cheol (unseen) during their 2011 Asian Cup group match at the Al-Gharafa Stadium in Doha. Australia and South Korea shared the spoils 1-1 in the battle of the big guns at the Asian Cup as both sides inched closer to the quarter-finals.

AFP - Australia and South Korea shared the spoils 1-1 in the battle of the big guns at the Asian Cup on Friday as both sides inched closer to the quarter-finals.

The two Asian heavyweights are both seen as potential tournament winners but neither could find the decisive winner at the three-quarters full Al-Gharafa Stadium.

Exciting Jeju United 21-year-old Koo Ja-Cheol, who has already attracted interest from overseas clubs, got the breakthrough on 24 minutes, striking his third goal of the competition.

But a second-half equaliser from Mile Jedinak ensured both teams earned a point.

It leaves South Korea and Australia on four points from two games with Bahrain and India playing later.

The Koreans are best-placed with only minnows India standing in their way while the Socceroos face a tricky encounter with Bahrain on Tuesday.

Manchester United's Park Ji-Sung had the first sight of goal on two minutes after intercepting a poor pass from Lucas Neill, but scuffed his shot and Fulham's Mark Schwarzer collected comfortably.

The Koreans were seeing most of the ball but Australia had a great chance to open the scoring in the 7th minute when Harry Kewell somehow hooked a shot over the bar from six yards out after a Brett Holman freekick.

Everton talisman Tim Cahill had a decent penalty appeal turned down in the 13th minute when Cha Du-Ri appeared to use his arm to pull him down, but Qatari referee Abdulrahman Abdou was having none of it.

Neither side was really finding their rhythm but Korea were creating more chances and they got the breakthrough with the Australian defence asleep.

Ji Dong-Won picked up a long ball through the middle and fed it to Koo, who made no mistake with a low right-foot shot.

It should have been 2-0 just minutes later with Australia run ragged by a nice build-up that culminated in a fierce shot from Ji that Schwarzer parried away and then collected.

It wasn't all one-way traffic and Kewell almost levelled the game with a powerful 30-yard freekick that shaved the bar.

Australia were starting to create chances and Kewell should have equalised seven minutes before half-time, but he took too long to get his shot away from the edge of the penalty area and it fizzed wide of the right-hand upright.

Cahill had an even better chance a minute later with just the goalkeeper to beat, but like Kewell he took too long and Glasgow Celtic man Cha charged in to make a vital tackle.

The agile Park was proving a handful and was at the centre of much of the Korean action as they came out after the break in attacking mode with Lee Jung-Soo going close with his header among a handful of early chances.

The Koreans upped the tempo and Park forced a fine save from Schwarzer on 60 minutes, but the Socceroos got back in it against the run of play.

Neill looped a high ball into the box and keeper Jung Sung-Ryong came but he was beaten to it by Jedinak, whose header found the back of the net.

Cahill then had a goal disallowed for offside as Australia found a new lease of life.

Both sides had plenty of opportunity to settle the game with Schwarzer pulling off a fine one-handed save from Ki Sung-Yueng four minutes from time to prevent a Korean victory.

Israeli army to collect settler weapons

Israeli settlers point thier weapons at Palestinian demonstrators during a 2009 protest near the Jewish settlement of Bracha in the West Bank. The Israeli army has said it would begin collecting weapons from Jewish settlers across the West Bank, in a move it said was aimed at curbing weapons theft.

AFP - The Israeli army said on Friday it would begin collecting weapons from Jewish settlers across the West Bank, in a move it said was aimed at curbing weapons theft.

The move was first reported in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily, which said the decision was taken as a result of the calm in the West Bank and over fears they may be used against Palestinians.

The move would affect hundreds of weapons handed out to settlers by the army at the start of the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which erupted in September 2000, the paper said.

Defence ministry figures published in 2003 show that Jewish settlers in the West Bank possessed around 8,000 weapons, including submachine-guns, light machine-guns and rifles.

The army said in a statement that it would only be collecting weapons "which are not currently in use and are being held in storage. This is part of the effort to tackle the problem of weapons theft."

The collection will be "starting soon," a military source said, without specifying a date.

Yediot said the decision came as a result of the improved security situation in the past two years, and also over concerns about settlers taking the law into their own hands and shooting any Palestinians they perceive as a threat.

The collection is likely to begin in settlements in and around the southern city of Hebron, it said.

"You have to remember that in the last two years it has become significantly quieter," a military source told the paper. "Of course, if a need arises, we will return the weapons to the residents, but with supervision."

Diamond-studded skull smiles on Asian art market

Artist Damien Hirst of Britain poses with his work at an art gallery in Hong Kong. Hirst was unveiling his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong entitled "Forgotten Promises".

Prominent works produced by controversial British artist Damien Hirst.

Artist Damien Hirst of Britain poses with his work at an art gallery in Hong Kong. Hirst was unveiling his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong entitled "Forgotten Promises".

AFP - A diamond-studded baby's skull by British artist Damien Hirst stares out across a brand new gallery in Hong Kong, smiling over Asia's rising demand for exorbitantly expensive works of art.

It is the first time the work's controversial creator has exhibited in Asia, a sure sign that the epicentre of the world's art scene is shifting east -- following the money.

Entitled "For Heaven's Sake", the work is a platinum cast of a human baby skull with more than 16,000 diamonds embedded in it. It is the first time the work has gone on display anywhere.

"Diamonds are about perfection and clarity and wealth and sex and death and immortality," the artist said in Hong Kong ahead of the "Forgotten Promises" exhibition, which opens on Tuesday.

"They are a symbol of everything that's eternal, but then they have a dark side as well."

The infant, believed to have been aged around 40 weeks, has been dead a long time. The skull itself was part of a nineteenth century pathology collection owned by the artist and still sits in his studio.

The work is on display in the city's new Gagosian Gallery alongside other Hirst pieces including a naked man cast in gold who has apparently flayed himself with surgical shears and a scalpel, his skin draped over an arm. A well-placed fig leaf protects his modesty.

Another potentially controversial piece on display is a 22 carat gold model of a baby's skeleton, with the addition of angel wings.

Precisely detailed oil paintings of butterflies, a favoured symbol for the artist which he says represent the beauty and fragility of life, adorn the gallery's walls.

The butterfly paintings are based on photographs taken from science collections and were painted by the artist's staff, not Hirst himself.

There are 32 exhibits in the show and all are for sale, although prices are not being publicly revealed. Hirst has on occasion been the world's most expensive living artist, and the asking price for a 2007 skull work of his, "For the Love of God", was pounds 50 million (now $79 million).

That piece was eventually bought in, but some of those at the Hong Kong show have already been sold, with "For Heaven's Sake" being put on reserve for an undisclosed sum.

"Damien sees the baby's skull as a very positive work," Jude Tyrrell, director of Hirst's company Science Ltd, told AFP.

"Skulls have appeared as a motif in works of art for thousands of years. There's nothing sinister about it.

"We don't know much about the skull itself or where it came from originally. Damien collects all sorts of curios, a bit like the Victorians. Who knows what he might use next?"

The opening of the Gagosian Gallery puts Hong Kong firmly on the art map, fuelled by Asia's ever-growing number of multi-millionaires.

"This is our first gallery in Asia," Gagosian director Millicent Wilner, told AFP. "There is a lot of interest and enthusiasm for art here. Asia is a hugely important and growing market for us.

"Art is a market and, like all markets, it's driven by money."

Auctioneers Sotheby's Hong Kong took in more than $680 million in 2010, 16 percent of the firm's global sales -- a figure that has gone up steadily every year and has trebled since 2004.

"Last year was an all time high for us," deputy chairman of Sotheby's Asia Daryl Wickstrom told AFP. "Asia, and China in particular, is a hugely important aspect of the growth of our market.

"There are now a lot of high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals in Asia who are finding their way into the art market, both for the enjoyment of the object and as an investment.

"Obviously, to collect expensive works of art, the first requirement is a sufficient bank balance."

But, Wickstrom added, the number of ultra-wealthy individuals is also driving up prices.

The highest price paid for a piece in Hong Kong was over $30 million in 2010 for a Qianlong period vase.

It was bought by collector Dr Alice Cheng, who paid more than five times the top estimate, helping push Sotheby?s autumn sale total to a record HK$3.09 billion ($396 million).

"The more active participants you have in an auction, the higher the price goes," Wickstrom said. "There's now a lot of competition in the sales room and we have seen a significant escalation in prices."

Malaysia plans sanctuary for captive tigers

A Malayan Tiger takes a dip at the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur in 2010. Malaysia plans to set up a large enclosed natural habitat for captive tigers, a senior wildlife official said Friday, an ambitious proposal that has raised concerns among conservationists.

AFP - Malaysia plans to set up a large enclosed natural habitat for captive tigers, a senior wildlife official said Friday, an ambitious proposal that has raised concerns among conservationists.

The authorities say the reserve will provide a good home for tigers rescued from poor living conditions, but campaigners argue the focus should be on protecting the animals in the wild.

"It is still at the preliminary stage. It will be an enclosed area big enough for the big cats to roam," a wildlife and national parks department official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Tigers in the park will be fed and it will be a tourist attraction."

A final decision on the programme, which will be located in peninsular Malaysia, will be made by the end of the year, the official said.

The plan was prompted by the discovery of 27 captive tigers living in poor conditions in a zoo in southern Malacca state, the official said.

He played down fears of poachers raiding the tiger park, saying it would be "enclosed and guarded."

But William Schaedla, regional director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, which monitors trade in wildlife, urged the authorities to concentrate on battling poaching rather than breeding tigers.

"TRAFFIC Southeast Asia agrees that something must be done to care for the tigers that are casualties of poaching and conflict. However, the facilities undertaking these efforts should avoid becoming factories for more captive tigers," he said.

"Captive tigers would not have the ability to feed themselves or a fear of humans, and so cannot be returned to the wild. Also, this will not prevent tiger extinction in the wild," he added.

Schaedla said the priority should be to protect tigers in the wild where they still face a serious threat.

Last year WWF-Malaysia said tribesmen in Malaysia were being paid by syndicates to trap wildlife, including critically endangered tigers, to meet demand from China.

Conservationists have called for a war on poachers who are undermining Malaysia's ambitious goal to double its population of wild tigers to 1,000.

In the 1950s, there were as many as 3,000 tigers in Malaysia but their numbers fell as the country opened up more land for agriculture.

Taiwan develops face-recognising vending machine

Tourists purchase water from a vending machine in Washington, DC. A face-recognising vending machine developed in Taiwan is able to offer hair-growing tonic to balding men and razors to people with beards, one of the inventors said Friday.

AFP - A face-recognising vending machine developed in Taiwan is able to offer hair-growing tonic to balding men and razors to people with beards, one of the inventors said Friday.

The vending machine, from Taipei-based Innovative DigiTech-Enabled Applications and Services Institute, is equipped with a camera that reads the faces of shoppers and then suggests products according to their gender and age.

"Our facial-recognition technology is more active than what has been developed in the United States and Japan, because it can actually offer shopping advice," said Tsai Chi-hung, a researcher at the institute.

As well as perceiving male baldness or facial hair, it is also able to suggest beauty products for young women and health drinks for older ones, according to Tsai.

The machine can also record the choices of shoppers who do not follow its tips to learn from its "mistakes" to be able to offer better suggestions in the future, he said.

Michael Jackson dance moves hit Kinect in April

Microsoft's new Kinect controller for the Xbox 360 is seen on a shelf in 2010. Ubisoft on Thursday announced an April 12 release date for a Michael Jackson video game that challenges Xbox 360 players to dance like the King of Pop.

AFP - Ubisoft on Thursday announced an April 12 release date for a Michael Jackson video game that challenges Xbox 360 players to dance like the King of Pop.

"Michael Jackson: The Experience" taps into camera and gesture-tracking capabilities of Kinect controllers for Xbox 360 consoles to track how well players are imitating the late music legend's moves.

The game features Ubisoft technology that projects players into on-screen scenes inspired by Jackson's music videos and live performances.

Ubisoft released a version of the game for Nintendo's Wii consoles with motion-sensing wand controllers in November.

Ubisoft has been a longtime believer in motion controls for videogames and the potential for 3-D cameras to immerse players in the on-screen action.

The firm seized the opportunity to work with Nintendo on titles tailored for the Wii and had action videogame "Red Steel" ready when the innovative motion-controlled consoles launched in late 2006.

Ubisoft finished 2010 as the top third-party developer for Kinect, which lets people play with no hand-held controllers at all and even recognizes faces and voice commands.

"We believed in the potential of Kinect from the start and we set out to be the leading third-party publisher," said Ubisoft North America president Laurent Detoc. "It worked. But this is only the beginning for us."

Microsoft has reported that it sold more than eight million Kinect controllers for Xbox 360 consoles in the two months after the accessory hit the market in November.

Ubisoft will follow the release of the Michael Jackson game with a "Child of Eden" game that promised to "send players diving into a kaleidoscopic matrix of synchronized music and mind-blowing visuals."

Japanese game maker Tetsuya Mizuguchi designed "Child of Eden," which calls on players to use pumps of their hands to hit targets darting about a swirling field of geometric figures while music plays.

"Kinect leapfrogs interactivity from what we have seen so far," Detoc told AFP. "I've believed from Day One that you could play without any controller."

Ubisoft released "Your Shape: Fitness Evolved" along with "MotionSports" and "Fighters Uncaged" for Kinect last year.

"Motion Sports" lets people compete in on-screen activities such as skiing, boxing, hang gliding and horseback riding using body movements.

"Fighters Uncaged" let players kick, knee, elbow, punch and head butt their way to victory or defeat in a street brawl against a fearsome looking opponent.

"Your Shape Fitness Evolved" built on a trend by Ubisoft to get videogame players up and moving.

Senegal turns to Islam to stop begging by child 'disciples'

People leave the Cheikh Oumar Foutiyou Tall mosque in Dakar. Senegal is increasingly turning to Islamic texts and the powerful sway of religious leaders to prevent thousands of children being sent to beg by their Koranic teachers in the name of religion.

A view of the Great Mosque in Touba, the holy city of Mouridism. Senegal is increasingly turning to Islamic texts and the powerful sway of religious leaders to prevent thousands of children being sent to beg by their Koranic teachers in the name of religion.

AFP - Senegal is increasingly turning to Islamic texts and the powerful sway of religious leaders to prevent thousands of children being sent to beg by their Koranic teachers in the name of religion.

The west African country has come under fire from human rights groups over the rising phenomenon, as poverty leads more and more parents to send children off to Koranic schools where some are exploited by unscrupulous marabouts.

At a conference seeking to find a solution to Senegal's problem of child-begging on Wednesday, Islamologist Abdou Aziz Kebe of the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar argued that solutions lay with the Muslim faith.

"Child protection is not the prerogative of the Western world against an Islamic world which does not concern itself with its children. Muslims have produced texts on this question," he said.

As an example Kebe quoted the 1981 universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights which states: "Each child has the right to be looked after and properly raised by its parents. It is forbidden to employ children..."

The conference was organised by the Canadian embassy and Dakar-based human rights group RADDHO.

"As soon as we denounce begging (by children), we get accused of tapping into Western ideology. But it is possible to draw from human rights texts within Islam ... it is a paradigm shift," said RADDHO president Alioune Tine.

According to a study by the World Bank, UNICEF and International Labour Office (ILO) some 7,800 children were begging on the streets of Dakar in 2007.

In April 2010 Human Rights Watch published a report saying at least 50,000 boys known as talibes (disciples), some as young as four years old, are "forced to beg on Senegal's streets for long hours, seven days a week, by often brutally abusive teachers, known as marabouts."

"The streets of our cities are overrun with children of all ages, all nationalities, barefoot, in rags, braving the cold with a penny in hand, to the benefit of shady adults hiding under the mantle of Koranic teacher," Senegal's Human Rights Minister Zandi Gaye told the conference.

Battling this one comes up against strong tradition in a country where rural families have long chosen a child to study Islam and the Koran under a marabout. Even President Abdoulaye Wade followed this path.

The marabout would be known to parents and the village and young disciples would sometimes be required to ask neighbours for mostly food to better understand poverty and humility.

But today children claim if they do not bring between 750 and 1000 CFA (one euro fifty cents) to their marabouts they face beatings and other forms of abuse.

To combat this phenomenon in a country where 90 percent of the population is Muslim, religious leaders are being regularly put to use in the state media to denounce it.

In a first for the country in September 2010 six Senegalese Koranic teachers and one from Guinea Bissau were convicted for sending children to the streets to beg, and given suspended sentences.

"Religious actors have often been ignored when it comes to street children. Now they have developed relevant initiatives" with the introduction of modern Islamic schools," said Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Diaw, a leader of the Partnership for the Withdrawal and Rehabilitation of Street Children.

Mamadou Gueye from the Collective of Koranic Schools in Senegal notes that "the problem of begging (children) can not be resolved without the involvement of Koranic teachers" who need assistance from government and NGOs to keep their disciples off the street.

However, lawmaker Imam Mbaye Niang says it is "impossible to support all the Koranic schools ... and the solution is to integrate Koranic education into the national education system."