The popular band Remioromen announced on Wednesday that they are going on hiatus. The decision is partially a result of vocalist Fujimaki Ryota’s solo debut, which was announced in December. While Fujimaki focuses on his solo career, bassist Maeda Keisuke plans to become active as a producer and composer, and drummer Jinguji Osamu also aims to continue developing as a musician.

Fujimaki is releasing his first solo single, “Hikari wo Atsumete,” on February 29. When the single was announced in December, Fujimaki apologized for making the band’s fans wait, and since then many have been concerned about the future of Remioromen’s activities. However, in the band’s message regarding their hiatus, they assured their fans that “our story is not over,” promising to resume activities sometime in the future. At this time, there is no estimate of when they will end their hiatus.

Remioromen formed in December 2000 and made their major label debut in August 2003. Some of their best known hits are “Konayuki” and “3gatsu 9ka.”

Source:
Natalie

The Philippines’ president, Benigno Aquino III, told reporters Wednesday that, yes, he is dating again. This time it’s a South Korean woman who grew up in Manila and works there as a TV show host and radio disc jockey.

Twenty-nine-year-old Grace Lee said on her TV program that “what the president said is true.”

Aquino turns 52 next week, and his love life has amused the nation.

Since becoming president in 2010, he has split up with a town councilor and then dated two other women.

Last year, he lamented that his love life was like Coke — going from regular to zero.

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aT recently hosted the promotion events in the 2012 Madrid Fusion, the event took place from January 24 to January 26 in Madrid, Spain.

Hundreds of well-known world class chefs, VIPs in the food business and press people celebrated the opening of the 2012 Madrid Fusion and enjoyed all the cooking shows, demonstrations and took part in the seminars during the whole period of the event.

This year, Korea was the guest country. At the welcome ceremony and other special events on the eve of the official opening, ‘Korean food special’ dinner parties took place.

aT President Mr. Kim Jea-soo, run two booths to promote Korean food materials and a group of promising foods for export. The main vegetables on display were Chinese cabbage, garlic, onion, radish, green onion, potato, hot pepper, carrots and shingo pear. These are the main vegetables for traditional Korean dishes.

Possibly, one of the best known Korean vegetables is the King Oyster Mushroom, it is a good ingredient for a creative new dish, it can also replace meat which is good for vegetarians.

Chef Sanghoon Degeimbre who is renowned for pushing conceptual boundaries in a seamless, inspiring marriage of Belgian and Korean cuisine, said “I work with Korean pear and can find them in Belgian markets. It’s pretty new to find fresh Korean products in Paris or Brussels, we didn’t know about the richness of heritage of fresh Korean food here in Europe.” 

Mr. Jongseo Park, Director for export, at aT, said that this event served as a good opportunity to promote/place Korean foods and its culture in world-class cuisine. Finalizing his comment, he says “I will do my best to upgrade Korean cuisine as one of major world-class dishes by supporting star-chefs in E.U. to newly introduced Korean foods in the EU.”

Publication date: 2/3/2012
Author: Nichola Watson
Copyright: www.freshplaza.com

AKB48’s sister group SKE48 had the top-selling single of the week with “Kataomoi Finally.” The single has sold 496,000 copies since its release, setting their personal record for highest first-week sales. They now have a streak of 4 consecutive singles, beginning with their 5th single “Banzai Venus” from March 2011.

Kim Hyun Joong of the group SS501 had the #2 single of the week, with just over 100,000 copies sold of his Japanese debut single “KISS KISS / Lucky Guy.” The last solo foreign artist to have a Top 3 single and sell more than 100,000 copies in the first week was Jang Keun-Suk in April of last year.

1. SKE48 – Kataomoi Finally – 495,809
2. Kim Hyun Joong – KISS KISS / Lucky Guy – 100,110
3. Morning Musume – Pyocopyoco Ultra – 31,094
4. BUMP OF CHICKEN – Good Luck – 27,416
5. BREAKERZ – Miss Mystery – 16,135
6. Zwei Wing – Senki Zessho Symphogear Character Song Series 1: Gyakkou no Flugel – 13,140
7. After School – Rambling girls / Because of you – 12,110
8. Matsushita Yuya – Kimi e no Love Song ~10 Nen Saki mo~ – 10,443
9. 9nine – Shoujo Traveler – 10,191
10. Takeuchi Mariya – Inochi no Uta – 9,470

Pop star Koda Kumi, who announced her marriage and pregnancy in December, topped the album rankings with her 10th album, “JAPONESQUE.” Counting only original albums, she now has 6 consecutive number-ones.

With this album, Koda has also achieved a streak of 8 consecutive years with a #1 album (2005-2012). Among solo female artists, she is now tied for 3rd with Matsuda Seiko (1981-1988), Nakamori Akina (1982-1989), and Watanabe Misato (1986-1993). Only Matsutoya Yumi (18 years, 1981-1998) and Hamasaki Ayumi (13 years, 1999-2011) have achieved longer streaks.

1. Koda Kumi – JAPONESQUE – 93,835
2. Sonar Pocket – Sona Poke Ism 3 ~Kimi to no 365 Nichi~ – 48,330
3. EXILE – EXILE JAPAN / Solo – 32,968
4. ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION – BEST HIT AKG – 30,840
5. Yuki Saori Pink Martini – 1969 – 17,177
6. Tokyo Jihen – color bars – 14,013
7. lecca – Step One – 13,148
8. CHEMISTRY – Trinity – 12,725
9. Various Artists – Inazuma Eleven GO Character Song Original Album – 12,209
10. Galileo Galilei – PORTAL – 11,578

Sources:
Oricon (weekly single ranking)
Oricon (weekly album ranking)
Oricon
Oricon
Oricon

The Kospi (KOSPI) Index of shares rose 0.4 percent this week as
overseas funds bought $1.3 billion more shares than they sold
through yesterday, exchange data show. A U.S. report today may
show employers boosted payrolls in January by 140,000 workers
and the jobless rate held at an almost three-year low of 8.5
percent, according to median estimates in a Bloomberg survey.

“The won is under consistent appreciation pressure with
global economy data improving a lot and foreign investors
boosting Korean stock purchases,” said Hwang Sun Min, a Seoul-
based currency trader at Kookmin Bank.

The won appreciated 0.5 percent this week to 1,118.07 per
dollar in Seoul, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was
little changed today after touching 1,115.70, the strongest
level since Nov. 9.

The one-year currency swap rate, the rate to exchange
payments in won with those in the dollar, rose to 2.51 percent
today, the highest since April, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

A Chinese manufacturing index rose faster in January than
the median estimate in a separate survey, while a U.S. gauge
climbed to a seven-month high, reports showed this week.

Bonds rose before policy makers meet to review borrowing
costs next week. The Bank of Korea will hold its benchmark rate
at 3.25 percent on Feb. 9, according to 12 of 13 economists
surveyed by Bloomberg News. One predicts a cut to 3 percent.

The yield on the government’s 3.5 percent debt due
September 2016 fell two basis points this week, or 0.02
percentage point, to 3.49 percent, Korea Exchange Inc. prices
show. The rate was unchanged today.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Jiyeun Lee in Seoul at
jlee1029@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Sandy Hendry at
shendry@bloomberg.net

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Nanyang Siang Pau reported that Jaycee Chan, the son of kungfu star Jackie Chan, had written a song for his mother on her birthday.

Jaycee took out a guitar and performed the song for his mother during the 59th birthday party for Lin Feng-Jiao on Tuesday.

He uploaded a video clip of his performance on Weibo (Chinese Twitter) and wrote: “It was mom’s birthday, I wrote her a song as a present.”

In the clip, Jackie and Lin were seen laughing and enjoying their son’s show.

When the 29-year-old said on stage that he was to sing a song for the mother, Jackie teased: “Is it rap?”

Jaycee answered that he knew the father would not understand the song and had prepared the lyrics for him.

MANILA, Philippines – You’ve heard the CDs. Now, Filipinos can enjoy the Buddha Bar experience live after the Paris-based bar lounge opened a branch in Makati City.

The fourth franchise in Asia after Jakarta in Indonesia, Beirut in Lebanon and Dubai, Buddha Bar opened at Picar Place along Kalayaan Avenue in Makati with a stylish party attended by VIPs, led by Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Also seen at the opening bash were fashion models Bianca Valerio, Tweetie de Leon and Marina Benipayo, TV personality Rovilson Fernandez, designers JC Buendia and Randy Ortiz, and other socialites.

“We have seen Buddha Bar’s great success globally since it first opened in Paris in 1996 and we are happy that they’ve chosen to open here in Manila,” said Sylvere Le Gall, general manager of Buddha Bar Manila.

“Buddha Bar’s expansion in the Philippines will definitely raise the bar of entertaining and dining beyond expectation, ensuring everyone a harmonious experience,” he added.

Buddha Bar Manila is fully owned by Picar Development, a subsidiary of the AMA Group and developers of the residential condominium tower, Stratford Residences.

With its chic East-meets-West concept, Buddha Bar’s interiors feature custom crafted rope chandeliers, cosseted by gold etched walls with intricate oriental patterns that set off the rich palette of gold, red and black.

The brand new three storey complex, which can seat 525 people, features the most spacious event space in the city. The bar can be found on the first floor, while the second floor is devoted to the restaurant and sushi bar. There is also an open-air rooftop, which has been transformed into a lounge area.

Chill-out music

Before opening in Makati, Buddha Bar is best known for its popular CD compilations. The original “Buddha Bar I,” released in 1999, is regarded as one of the best-selling chill-out compilations of all time.

The tracks in the Buddha Bar CDs are usually inspired by traditional music and rhythms from Asia and South America, which have been turned into hypnotic electronic music.

Frank Fortet, group head of international development of George V Entertainment, the company that owns the Buddha Bar brand, explained that Buddha Bar focuses on three elements: music, light and food.

“With the lighting and the design, and the music, it creates a soundtrack for your night, that’s why it lingers,” Le Gall said in an interview with BusinessWorld, adding that the secret to Buddha Bar’s music is the choice of songs based on the clientele at a particular time.

As for the food, the Pacific Rim menu also follows the East-meets-West theme, mixing French techniques with Asian flavors. Among its famous dishes are the chicken salad, Thai curry prawns, caramelized lemon tart, and black sesame ice cream.

This early Buddha Bar is already gaining a following among the glamorous set and celebrities.

“Partner we have it here na!” model Phoemela Baranda tweeted.

“Does anybody know the number to Buddha Bar?” tweeted Azkals member Anton del Rosario.

“I’m so happy! Buddha bar opened in makati! Used 2go (sic) there when I was in hischool (sic) /college pero Paris nga lang. Hehe. Meron na sa Manila,” tweeted KC Concepcion, who stayed in Paris for several years before pursuing her showbiz career in the country.

LOS ANGELES – Actor Ben Gazzara, known for his brooding tough-guy presence in dozens of films, television shows and stage productions over his long career, died of pancreatic cancer on Friday at a Manhattan hospital, his lawyer said. He was 81.

A three-time Tony nominee for his stage work, Gazzara made his big break into films with his role as an accused killer in Otto Preminger’s 1959 courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Murder.”

He went on to work with numerous high-profile Hollywood directors, including John Cassavetes, with whom he collaborated on several films, including the 1976 gangster drama “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.”

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By BRIAN MURPHY

The Associated Press

It was the first State of the Union address after the 9/11 attacks, and America was leading an invasion of Afghanistan in pursuit of Osama bin Laden. Fittingly, this is where President George W. Bush began on Jan. 29, 2002: “As we gather tonight, our nation is at war, our economy is in recession and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers.”

ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, FEB. 5, 2012 AND THEREAFTER – FILE – In this Tuesday, May 14, 2002 file photo, women hold pictures of President Mohammad Khatami during a public welcoming ceremony for him in the city of Sari 125 miles (250 kilometers) from Tehran during a three-day tour in northern province of Mazandaran. In the first State of the Union address after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush bunched Iran, Iraq and North Korea together as the West’s most dangerous foe, and called it an “axis of evil.” Ten years later America is still at war, and the three points on the “axis” are profoundly different. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, FEB. 5, 2012 AND THEREAFTER – FILE – In this Feb. 16, 2002 photo from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency distributed by Korea News Service, students participate in a mass gymnastics show at Pyongyang Gymnasium in North Korea, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il. In the first State of the Union address after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush bunched Iran, Iraq and North Korea together as the West’s most dangerous foe, and called it an “axis of evil.” Ten years later America is still at war, and the three points on the “axis” are profoundly different. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency, Korea News Service via AP Images)

ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, FEB. 5, 2012 AND THEREAFTER – FILE – In this Thursday, Nov. 26, 1998 file photo, a portrait of President Saddam Hussein stands at the entrance of the Doura oil refinery on the outskirts of Baghdad. In the first State of the Union address after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush bunched Iran, Iraq and North Korea together as the West’s most dangerous foe, and called it an “axis of evil.” Ten years later America is still at war, and the three points on the “axis” are profoundly different. (AP Photo/Jockel Finck)

Then, about halfway through the address, Bush started to sketch the perceived perils and coined a three-word phrase: “axis of evil” — Iran, Iraq and North Korea. “In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic.”

It turned out to be advance billing for the bloodshed, brinksmanship and frustration that would dominate the Bush White House and be passed on to Barack Obama. Ten years later, America still is at war, and the three points on Bush’s “axis” are profoundly different. North Korea has exploded two nuclear-test devices; Iran is alleged to harbor nuclear ambitions; and Iraq, which was to have been the democratic showcase of the Bush foreign policy, still is a shaky prospect bedeviled by factional violence.

___

Back on Jan. 29, 2002, as Bush delivered that State of the Union address, Iran seemed from the West’s perspective to be the least menacing point on the axis. Its president, Mohammad Khatami, was a moderate, hard-line voices were muted and there were hints of breakthrough cooperation in Afghanistan after the U.S. toppled the Taliban, which was hated by Tehran.

But the U.S. deeply opposes Iran’s aid to Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian faction Hamas, and today, Iran’s Islamic leaders and their U.S.-led opponents are in a 21st century version of Cold War showdowns.

U.S. and European sanctions are taking aim at Iran’s critical oil exports as part of escalating economic pressures. Cyber warfare and assassinations are claimed by Iran to be part of an Israeli campaign to abort its nuclear effort. Iran threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz, the pathway for about one-fifth of the world’s oil, and U.S. and European warships have responded with a show of muscle.

“We’re much closer to moving from a cold conflict to a hot conflict, because Iran has moved forward with their nuclear program,” Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian affairs expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said in an interview with National Public Radio for the 10th anniversary of Bush’s speech. “But I would say that Iran truly is more isolated than it’s ever been.”

Iran has offered to resume talks with world powers, but looks highly unlikely to agree to any conditions that would halt uranium enrichment. The U.S. and its allies fear that enrichment will lead to weapons-grade material. Iran insists it seeks reactors only for energy and medical research.

“It’s reached a stage where it’s hard to see how this impasse could be broken,” said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, a Syracuse University professor who follows Iranian affairs. “The pressures on Iran are definitely hurting them, but it also causes the leadership to push back even harder.”

___

In Iraq, Bush’s 2002 speech was not broadcast live, but the next day Saddam Hussein’s government was claiming America was massing troops on the borders and was about to invade. Fourteen months later a U.S.-led force poured into Iraq after another type of state-sponsored call to arms: Washington’s claim that Saddam was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.

No such arsenal was ever discovered, but other merciless forces were unleashed in the form of sectarian conflict between the Sunnis, who lost their privileged status bestowed by Saddam, and the majority Shiites, who had suffered relentless repression by his regime.

For years, the U.S. military was the besieged caretaker of a country on the brink of civil war. The fighting veered in many directions: Shiite militias targeting U.S. troops or running nighttime Sunni-hunting death squads; Sunni insurgents inspired by al-Qaida carrying out suicide bombings and other attacks against Shiites; Iranian-backed Shiite factions becoming so deadly proficient with roadside bombs that they became the chief killer of U.S. soldiers.

The withdrawal of the last American forces in December closed the door on more than seven years of combat, but left a whole new political landscape in which Iraq, a bulwark against Iranian power during Saddam’s era, may become Iran’s best Middle Eastern ally.

“Iraq,” said Arizona Sen. John McCain, “is unraveling.”

Many Iraqis would agree. Khalid Omer, a 34-year-old Sunni teacher in the northern Baghdad district of Azamiyah, traces it back to what he called Bush’s “triple-wicked” address.

“It represents superficial and hollow American policies that started in Iraq and will end in Iraq,” he said.

In a Shiite district in eastern Baghdad, Qais Kadhum, 42, lamented that Iraq has paid the highest cost among Bush’s axis states.

“Iraq became the weakest country in the region, while North Korea and Iran became stronger,” he said. “The policies of the ‘axis of evil’ devastated Iraq and enabled Iran and North Korea,” he said.

Baghdad University international affairs professor Kadhum al-Muqdadi views Bush’s speech as an early attempt to begin selling the idea of an Iraq invasion by linking it a perceived global threat.

“Bush put Iraq in with two other ‘evil’ nations, but his real aim was marketing for the invasion of Iraq,” said al-Muqdadi. “He was just trying to pave the way.”

___

Bush’s speech came less than two years after a landmark trip to North Korea by Madeleine Albright, President Bill Clinton’s secretary of state. North Korea reacted to the “axis of evil” label by calling it “little short of declaring a war,” and it went on to twice detonate nuclear devices and to test-fire missiles.

While the relationship with the U.S. remains tense, the death in December of Kim Jong Il, who led North Korea during the Bush administration, opened the way for his young, inexperienced son, Kim Jong Un. His government has recently suggested through state media that it remains open to suspending uranium enrichment in return for food aid.

While China is North Korea’s major economic and political backer, relations with the U.S. are a high priority among officials in Pyongyang. North Korea’s willingness to make a deal with Washington is seen as a crucial pointer to how the country will behave as it extends the Kim dynasty into a third generation.

All eyes are on Kim Jong Un to see how he consolidates power. There are fears that North Korea could seek to bolster his credentials and strengthen national unity by conducting a missile or nuclear test, or by picking a fight with South Korea.

The current nuclear crisis began in October 2002 when the Bush administration said North Korea admitted to a secret uranium program during U.S.-North Korean talks in Pyongyang. North Korea long rejected the uranium allegations, but in 2010 it unveiled an industrial-scale uranium enrichment facility.

South Korean analysts differ about the importance of Bush’s now-famous phrase.

Jeung Young-tae of the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul said it was part of Bush’s “realistic North Korea policy” responding to North Korea’s tactic of disavowing nuclear ambitions to get aid while covertly breaking its word.

“The Bush administration came to understand the true nature of North Korea,” Jeung said.

Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor at Korea University, said, however, that the “axis-of-evil” designation “considerably undermined” ties with North Korea,

“It was a turning point,” Yoo said. “In the following 10 years, North Korea and the United States have failed to build mutual trust between them.”

___

Brian Murphy is an AP correspondent based in Dubai. Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea; Mazin Yahya in Baghdad; and Bradley Klapper in Washington contributed to this report.

___

February 04, 2012 11:11 AM EST

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The nation’s most popular political podcast, “Naneun Ggomsuda,” has started a fresh round of dispute as one of its male supporters posted a nude photo of himself in response to the mounting criticism of the racy campaign to free one of the hosts from jail.

The fire reignited on Thursday when 37-year-old Choi Young-min posted a photograph of himself naked with “I am serious,” and “Bring back my model!” written across his body on a website dedicated to Chung Bong-ju.

Chung is a panelist on the show who has been imprisoned since December for slandering President Lee Myung-bak.

Choi, a professional photographer, referred to the jailed former politician as his model because he has taken many photos of him.

“I cannot help but laugh at the immaturity of society still arguing about feminism over some bikini photos,” he wrote in a message posted on the website.

On the same day, Lee Bo-gyeong, a senior reporter for the terrestrial broadcaster MBC, posted on her Twitter account a picture of her wearing a bikini with “Free Chung Bong-ju,” written on her chest.

“The bikini photos were more of a joke. I thought people are being overly strict about women posting bikini shots,” she explained in a media interview.

Choi and Lee were referring to the recent row over comments made by the other hosts of the podcast regarding “bikini pictures” posted by women supporters. They have come under fire for encouraging women to post the photos on the campaign website in order to draw public attention toward Chung.

“Chung has been taking pills to dampen his libido,” program director Kim Yong-min said. “So ladies, feel free to send your bikini photos.”

Another panelist, Ju Jin-wu, posted a photo on his Twitter account showing him writing a message to Chung saying, “I really like the ‘breast photos.’ Don’t get too aroused!”

Their remarks prompted criticism from women’s rights activists.

The shot of Choi, an ardent fan of Chung, is seen as an attempt to counter the condemnation. But it has triggered more criticism, even from progressives who support the show.

“It seems that the program has chosen to make poor excuses over the bikini dispute rather than to apologize for it,” said Chin Joong-kwon, a political pundit, on his Twitter account.

Kim Yu-bin, a 31-year-old bank clerk and fan of the show, said she was disappointed.

“No matter how politically progressive you are, men cannot get away with chauvinist ways of dealing with women,” she said.

Kim Eo-jun, the main host of the show, said he will make an official announcement through the program if necessary, but remained tightlipped about the controversy in the latest episode released on Wednesday.

“I don’t think it was sexual harassment. Some of the facts have been misplaced. We will talk about it on the next episode,” he said to a local daily.

Meanwhile, “Naneun Ggomsuda” was deemed pro-North Korea media by the government, and is banned from distribution among soldiers.

According to local media, a subordinate unit of the Army Logistics Command last Tuesday compiled a list of eight smartphone applications that are prohibited from soldiers’ devices and Ggomsuda was among them.

A military official said the move was to enhance cyber security and claimed that army headquarters did not issue the order. Opponents said that the program has never praised nor spoken in favor of the communist state and that the prohibition is a political tactic to block soldiers from the liberal program.