Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by tentang rasa

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tentang rasa — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 22:17:50 +0800

Why The United States Isn't A True Democracy

tentang rasa — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 15:01:10 +0800

[YOUTUBE]p9SSQZX8fUE[/YOUTUBE]

0:00 With the 2016 US Presidential election in full swing, many candidates have fallen back
0:05 on praising American democracy. In an interview with Time, Hillary Clinton said “we have
0:10 to knit this democracy back together”. Clearly, the presidential election is the purest expression
0:16 of the democratic process… right?
0:21 Well, not exactly. In fact, not only is the election non-democratic, but America itself
0:29 is not a real democracy. It turns out that there are almost no modern countries which
0:33 would be considered “true democracies”. Instead, countries we considered democratic,
0:38 are actually forms of “representative democracy”, as opposed to a “direct democracy”. In
0:44 a representative democracy, citizens vote for elected officials, who collectively vote
0:48 in the place of citizens, and are expected to represent their best interests. Although
0:53 that’s a step above having a king or oligarchy you didn’t vote for, it isn’t a direct
0:58 democracy. A direct democracy enables citizens to vote directly on every law, ordinance,
1:04 and appointment. Only in Switzerland are there small regions with forms of direct democracy,
1:10 although the country as a whole is still representative.
1:13 In the United States, citizens instead vote for Congresspeople, who represent their constituents.
1:18 In the case of the presidential election, citizens don’t even vote for the president.
1:23 Instead they vote for their state’s position in the electoral college. This is where every
1:27 state is given a certain number of votes, and all those votes go towards whichever candidate
1:33 is chosen by the majority. The state’s electoral votes are intended to represent the state’s
1:38 population, but the country’s popular vote does not decide elections. In the year 2000,
1:43 Al Gore lost the US election but actually got MORE votes than George W. Bush!
1:48 So, doesn’t this subvert the founding father’s original intention? No! It was the founding
1:54 fathers themselves who made sure there was not a direct
1:56 democracy. In the Federalist Papers, James Madison wrote that democracies were spectacles
2:02 of turbulence and contention, and incompatible with personal security or property rights.
2:08 The problem with a direct democracy is that it often leads to the “tyranny of the majority”.
2:13 This is when small groups are oppressed because the majority is unaffected by their oppression.
2:17 Instead, modern representative democracy allows disproportionate representation and protection
2:23 to those minority groups. There are also certain rights which are enumerated in the constitution,
2:29 instead of allowing the public to vote on them. This system combined makes the US a
2:33 constitutional republic, and not a true democracy.
2:37 In a nutshell, the United States, and other modern democracies, have no real reason to
2:42 be truly democratic. Not only does a representative government function more smoothly, it takes
2:47 care of those who would otherwise be ignored. With the exceptions of some local governments
2:51 which do see direct democracy from their citizens, the rest find it easier to choose someone
2:56 who represents their interests. So, why isn’t America a true democracy? Because according
3:01 to the founding fathers, a “true democracy” simply doesn’t work.
3:04 On another note, this episode is brought to you by Squarespace, which will help you build
3:08 a website, even if you have no idea what you’re doing! They’ll give you a free domain name
3:12 when you sign up for a year, and if you type “TestTube” at checkout, you’ll get an
3:16 extra 10% off. Squarespace... you should.
3:19 And you should also be glad what while the US isn’t a real democracy, it also isn’t
3:23 a dictatorship. There are still a lot of countries that have dictators, and you can check out
3:28 this video to find out which ones do. Thanks for watching! Make sure to like and subscribe
3:47 for new videos every day.

4MINUTE - hate, 포미닛 - 싫어, Show Music core 20160130

tentang rasa — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 12:34:20 +0800

[YOUTUBE]uNYLYKPkqDg[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]D_F9HUTYnl0[/YOUTUBE]

hyoona mikey mouse hair

2015 was the hottest year on record

tentang rasa — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 16:02:34 +0800

http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/20/2015-wa...test-year-ever/

If you needed further signs that humans are likely warming the planet, you just got it. NASA and NOAA have independently determined that Earth surface temperatures in 2015 were the hottest since record-keeping began in 1880, beating the 2014 average (the previous record) by a sizeable 0.13 degrees Celsius. Most of the on-record warming happened within the past 35 years, too. And you can't pin this on weather patterns like El Niño. While those conditions certainly contributed to 2015's higher temperatures, it was the "cumulative effect" of decades of warming that led to the new high.

The data also suggests that the Paris climate change deal was particularly timely. The agreement has most countries pledging to keep the global temperature increase to less than 2C over pre-industrial levels. Well, the NASA/NOAA studies show that the increase passed 1C for the first time last year -- there isn't a lot of breathing room left. Humanity may have to step things up if it wants to keep the Earth's temperatures in check.

[YOUTUBE]gGOzHVUQCw0[/YOUTUBE]

How Japan Got Such A Low Crime Rate?

tentang rasa — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 16:11:52 +0800

http://www.vox.com/world/2015/12/13/998925...conviction-rate

Japan has exceptionally low levels of crime. In 2011, its intentional homicide rate was 0.3 per 100,000 people, while America's rate was 4.7 per 100,000 people. Japan's gun death statistics are particularly impressive, given the recent mass shootings in the US: In 2013, Japan's gun homicide rate was 0.01 per 100,000 people, while America's rate was 3.5 — 350 times the rate of Japan.

But as the video above by the Economist shows, behind Japan's low crime rates are some very troubling criminal justice practices. The Economist explained:

Some suspects will falsely admit guilt just to end a stressful interrogation, and interrogations in Japan can be very stressful. Police and prosecutors may hold ordinary criminal suspects for up to 23 days without charge—longer than most other rich countries allow even terrorist suspects to be detained. Access to defence lawyers during this period is limited. In theory, suspects have the right to remain silent; but in practice prosecutors portray silence as evidence of guilt.

Prosecutors put pressure on the police to extract confessions, and 23 days is plenty of time to extract one. Interrogators sometimes ram tables into a suspect, stamp on his feet or shout in his ears. Interviews can last for eight hours or more. Suspects are deprived of sleep and forced into physically awkward positions. Few people can withstand such treatment. "Not being able to sleep was the hardest for me," says Kazuo Ishikawa, who held out for 30 days before signing a confession he couldn’t read (he was illiterate at the time) to a murder he says he didn’t commit. He spent 32 years in prison and is still fighting to be exonerated.

In other words, Japan's criminal justice system is built to rely largely on confessions — confessions underpinned 89 percent of criminal prosecutions in 2014, the Economist found. And the lack of safeguards for suspects means the system often relies on false confessions.

The Economist reported:

In a court system without an adversarial approach to establish innocence and guilt, judges too rarely question whether confessions really are voluntary. Yet time and again innocent people have been shown to confess to crimes in the hope of a more lenient sentence—or simply to make the interrogation stop. In October a mother convicted of killing her daughter for the insurance money was released after a crime reconstruction proved her innocence. Last year Iwao Hakamada was freed after 46 years on death row when a judge declared that his conviction was unsafe (among other things, he appears to have been tortured at the time of his arrest). One lawyer estimates that a tenth of all convictions leading to prison are based on false confessions. It is impossible to know the true figure, but when 99.8% of prosecutions end in a guilty verdict, it is clear that the scales of justice are out of balance.

So Japan's criminal justice system may boast some very impressive statistics, but those figures seem to come with a dark side.

TL;DR - the accused was stressed about being interrogated, end up accepting the crime he did not commit.

DAP SAHUT CABARAN PAS

tentang rasa — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 21:32:45 +0800

http://www.malaysia-today.net/dap-isytihar-pas-musuh-utama/

(Berita Harian) – Naib Pengerusi DAP Selangor, Datuk Teng Chang Khim, mengisytiharkan pendirian parti itu yang menyifatkan PAS sebagai musuh utama.

Katanya, ia susulan kenyataan Naib Presiden PAS, Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad, semalam yang menganggap DAP sebagai musuh parti berkenaan.

“Dia (PAS) dah isytihar (sebagai musuh), kita sahut kerana kita pantang dicabar.

“Dalam pentadbiran kerajaan negeri, kita bersikap profesional. Untuk pilihan raya umum (PRU) akan datang, kita tetap menempatkan calon DAP bagi kerusi ditandingi PAS,” katanya.

Beliau ditemui di Istiadat Angkat Sumpah dan Pengurniaan Watikah Pelantikan Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Selangor, Orang Besar Daerah Kuala Langat, Timbalan Mufti, Ketua Pendaftar Perkahwinan dan Perceraian dan Rujuk Orang Islam di Istana Kayangan di sini, pagi tadi.

Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, berkenan menyempurnakan majlis berkenaan.

Sementara itu, Iskandar yang juga Pesuruhjaya PAS Selangor, berkata PAS akan menjadikan DAP sebagai musuh pada PRU akan datang.

“Buat masa ini, kita akan tetap bekerjasama dan meneruskan kerjasama parti sehingga PRU akan datang,” katanya.

Pada Ijtimak Pilihan Raya PAS Selangor di Stadium Tertutup Kuala Selangor semalam, PAS menganggap DAP musuh terbaharu mereka.

Ia berikutan tindakan DAP yang mahu meletakkan lapan calon di lapan kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) disandang PAS di Selangor pada PRU akan datang.

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updated at page 4

North Korea 'At Brink Of War' Over Seoul Music

tentang rasa — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 21:37:55 +0800

http://news.sky.com/story/1619524/north-ko...ver-seoul-music

Pyongyang responds angrily to South Korea's decision to blast ear-splitting propaganda messages and karaoke hits over the border.

A top North Korean official has warned the secretive state is being pushed to the "brink of war" - as South Korea continued to blare propaganda through loudspeakers across the border.

In what was the country's first response to the broadcasts, which Pyongyang finds insulting, Kim Ki Nam also told a rally that the US and its followers were "jealous of the successful test of our first hydrogen bomb" - which it claims took place on Wednesday.

South Korea's ear-splitting barrage, which includes "K-pop" music and messages criticising Kim Jong-un's regime, is being blasted from walls of loudspeakers in 11 locations - and North Korea has since responded with its own broadcasts.

The last time Seoul deployed the technique last August, which was described at the time as "psychological warfare" by its isolated neighbour, it resulted in both sides exchanging artillery fire.

On Friday, a South Korean defence military official explained: "We have selected a diverse range of the most recent popular hits to make it interesting."

They included karaoke favourites such as the upbeat dance hit Bang, Bang, Bang.

As the high-decibel broadcasts continued, state media in North Korea published photographs which appeared to show thousands of people celebrating Kim Jong-un's birthday in Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has held talks with China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, to warn that China's approach to North Korea is failing.

Although Beijing is a key economic and diplomatic backer for the secretive state, Seoul's government has called on Mr Wang to "sternly punish" North Korea for the nuclear test.

Hours after the propaganda broadcasts began, the UK's Foreign Secretary urged South Korea to "exercise restraint" – and said the country shouldn't "rise to the bait" by provoking Pyongyang.

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Favorite Female AniManga Character

tentang rasa — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 14:43:47 +0800

reread back dragon ball manga, i think no.18 is pretty awesome female character but underrated, underdeveloped in some way(overall, toriyama did good job in character development). her big fight only once(versus vegeta) and she's pretty hot too whats yours?

[YOUTUBE]Sbc0yd2aBHU[/YOUTUBE]

sumber ihsan:google

Aznil Nawawi

tentang rasa — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 22:34:31 +0800

why i never see him in public television channels ? why he only appears in astro

strong link between ADHD and premature death

tentang rasa — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 20:08:42 +0800

http://www.vox.com/2015/2/25/8109129/adhd-premature-death

Does a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder increase one's risk of dying young? Though some studies have suggested there may be a link, they weren't large enough to tell for sure.

Now, a new, well-designed study in the Lancet gets pretty close to demonstrating this disturbing correlation.

A small group of Danish researchers gathered data from nearly two million people on national medical registers, tracking them from their first birthdays until 2013, for a maximum of just more than 30 years. In this cohort, 32,000 people had been diagnosed with ADHD.

When the researchers followed the group for the next three decades to learn about how they fared, they came to some startling conclusions. Compared to people without ADHD, those who had the disorder were twice as likely to die prematurely — and much more accident prone.

Of the 107 people with ADHD who died, they were able to get information on the causes of death in 79 cases. Of these people, 25 people died from natural causes and 54 passed away from unnatural causes. The overwhelming majority (78 percent) who died prematurely and unnaturally had been involved in accidents.

They also found out that people who were diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood had higher mortality rates than those who had been diagnosed early, and that women with ADHD had a higher risk of death than men.

"This study provides the first evidence of increased all-cause mortality in individuals with ADHD," the study authors concluded. "The excess mortality in ADHD was mainly driven by deaths from unnatural causes, especially accidents."

Why may ADHD people be accident prone?

In an accompanying commentary, researchers pondered the question of why ADHD people seem to be dying younger and disproportionately from accidents. They note that while we don't yet fully understand the cause, there is a well-documented link between ADHD and antisocial and substance abuse disorders, which can lead to aggression, violence, and crime.

They also suggest there may be other pathways: "inattention and impulsivity, would seem to be risk factors for accidents," they said, citing several studies that have found associations between ADHD and more risky behaviors.

Finally, another major contributor to early death among those with ADHD seemed to be insufficient treatment. The researchers found that the mean age at diagnosis was about 12 years. So many people in the study were only getting treated long after the disease sprang up. And because the risk for premature death increased with the age at diagnosis, under-treatment may be at least partially driving the trend.

While the study is important — and really big, and well conducted — you shouldn't freak out about dying early because of an ADHD diagnosis.

First of all, this was an observational study — not an experiment — and observational studies can only ever tell us about correlations between things, not that one caused the other. (For more on the difference between the two types of studies and their limitations, see here.)

Secondly, the study was only done in one country — Denmark. For whatever reason, there may be some quirk in the health-care setting here or the way Danes are diagnosed and treated with this disorder that makes the findings not applicable to other settings.

Finally, though the relative risk of premature death in ADHD folks was higher than those without ADHD, the absolute risk is quite low.

As the study's lead author, Søren Dalsgaard from the Aarhus University in Denmark, told Vox, "Among two million individuals in the total cohort, 5,580 died during follow-up. Among those 32,000 with ADHD within this cohort 107 died." In other words, the group of ADHD people who died is very small so we're not talking about thousands of deaths.

To put it into more concrete terms, Dalsgaard explained, "When following 10,000 patients with ADHD for one year, 5.8 died, compared to only 2.2 deaths among 10,000 individuals without the disorder within one year." That means that while the relative risk is much higher among the ADHD group, it's still a small risk overall.

Jangan Ada Sakit Hati, Hadi, Najib Sepentas

tentang rasa — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 16:56:07 +0800

[YOUTUBE]Mn0qjmth_cw[/YOUTUBE]

UMNO launch a new iPhone

tentang rasa — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 16:57:20 +0800

Is that what Jesus really looked like?

tentang rasa — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 14:17:51 +0800

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/6267...lly-looked-like

The handsome caucasian male, with flowing locks of light or dark-brown hair, kind, sometimes blue eyes, and neat beard is the Jesus Christ most of us know from religious paintings and church windows.

But now a team of forensic scientists have come up with what is now believed to be the most accurate portrayal yet of the Christian Messiah.

And, perhaps not really that unsurprisingly, considering where he originated from, Jesus has a much darker appearance than we are used to.

Using a new scientific field known as forensic anthropology used in crime fighting, British scientists teamed up with Israeli archaeologists to create a computer generated photo fit of Jesus to show what he probably really looked like.

The Bible gives little clues as to his actual appearance, so how did they do it?

The team worked on the the description given by evangelist Matthew that it was hard to tell Jesus apart from his disciples during his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

This led to the conclusion that Christ would have had the typical features of the Galilean Semites of the time.

From this they set about obtaining three well-preserved skulls from Jerusalem in Israel, where Jesus had lived and preached.

Richard Neave, a medical artist from the University of Manchester, used specialist computer programmes to recreate the muscles and skins overlaying the skulls - in the same way that forensic detectives put together a photofit to identify a body when all they have is a skeleton.

Three important pieces of information about Jesus' appearance - his hair, skin and eye colour were missing, however.

So for the final mugshot, the team studied the people in several drawings at archaeological sites in Israel.

The only plausible conclusion was he had dark eyes and the research team ultimately concluded that Jesus had dark eyes, hair and skin, like his counterparts and was bearded in the Jewish tradition.

But they also concluded through thorough research of the Bible, he would not have had the long hair so often depicted, but instead, short tight curls.

ISIS To Saudi-Coalition: "Come Over, You Cowards"

tentang rasa — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 21:25:44 +0800

In an onslaught of Twitter posts, ISIS supporters are threatening Saudi Arabia and a new counterterrorism coalition that the country declared it is leading.

Saudi’s deputy crown prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman announced on Tuesday the formation of a 34-state “Islamic military alliance,” and said in a statement published by an official state news agency that his country will coordinate efforts to fight ISIS and other terror groups under a joint operations center based in Riyadh.

ISIS sympathizers egged their enemies on. “We waited for this moment since the establishment of the caliphate,” an ISIS loyalist tweeted. “We are waiting for you in Syria, come over, you cowards,” another one posted.

The terror group loyalists broadcast the provocations with the hashtag #TheIslamicMilitaryCoalition, which has been used by both ISIS supporters and Saudis celebrating the formation of the coalition. Some said their Islamic State group is going to exist whether Saudi Arabia likes it or not. Others declared that the coalition won’t be able to defeat the group, just like a U.S.-led coalition has failed to beat it.

“We are determined and will live honorably or die as martyrs,” a supporter posted.

On the other side of the Twitter fight, people posting from inside Saudi Arabia praised their country and its leaders, and used the #SaudiIsLeadingTheWarOnTerror hashtag to show pride. “Proud to be the leaders of terrorism fighters,” someone wrote. “Proud to be Saudi.”

Bin Salman has said that the coalition will coordinate in “countries suffering from terrorism including Syria, Iraq, Sinai, Yemen, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.” Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Nigeria and Pakistan are among the nations participating in the effort.

http://www.vocativ.com/news/261209/isis-lo...er-you-cowards/

Children cry out for their mothers after an airstr

tentang rasa — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 10:39:43 +0800

[YOUTUBE]OMGH17lBAM8[/YOUTUBE]

cant believe this is the kind of world we live today

MARK ZUCKERBERG TO MUSLIM: I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU

tentang rasa — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:43:16 +0800

A few nights ago, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump created an uproar (and received some applause) when he suggested Muslims should be banned from entering the United States. Even without The Donald's demagoguery, this isn't an easy period for Muslim Americans. Brutal ISIL terror attacks in Paris last month and last week's shooting in San Bernardino, California, apparently by Islamic extremists, have generated fear and suspicion of Muslims throughout the Western world—and some of that sentiment has even appeared on Facebook.

Tonight, the social network's founder posted a message of support to his Muslim, er, followers:

QUOTE

I want to add my voice in support of Muslims in our community and around the world.

After the Paris attacks and hate this week, I can only imagine the fear Muslims feel that they will be persecuted for the actions of others.

As a Jew, my parents taught me that we must stand up against attacks on all communities. Even if an attack isn't against you today, in time attacks on freedom for anyone will hurt everyone.

If you're a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you.

Having a child has given us so much hope, but the hate of some can make it easy to succumb to cynicism. We must not lose hope. As long as we stand together and see the good in each other, we can build a better world for all people.

This is, it seems, a season of hope for Zuckerberg. He and his wife, Priscilla Chan, became parents at the end of last month—and marked the occasion by launching a new philanthropic LLC, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Japanese artist ISH-ONE copies GDTY's 'Good Boy'?

tentang rasa — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 20:41:25 +0800

[YOUTUBE]sKDT6aufkWo[/YOUTUBE]

A song by Japanese artist ISH-ONE has come up as sounding similar to GDTY's "Good Boy".

The song in question is "Mr. Problem", which consists of a similar beat and melody to GDTY's "Good Boy". ISH-ONE has currently denied the similarities of both songs. When asked, on his Twitter, if he'd sampled "Good Boy", he answered that he had not and that he was a fan of Big Bang.

SEE ALSO: Big Bang add another Tokyo concert to Dome tour!

Check out the comparison video above. What do you think? Plagiarized or not?

http://www.allkpop.com/article/2015/12/jap...-gdtys-good-boy

Clash of Clans New Hero

tentang rasa — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 22:17:13 +0800

[YOUTUBE]DYNyq47dbCo[/YOUTUBE]

UNIFI AND STREAMYX CUSTOMERS TO RECEIVE FREE IFLIX

tentang rasa — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 17:44:45 +0800

As per our report yesterday, TM and iflix today have announced their brand new partnership which is rather unique in nature. The result of the new cooperation between the two companies will soon enable TM’s UniFi and Streamyx home customers to enjoy free iflix video on demand service for one year.
This is expected to take place starting from middle of December and what made the deal rather interesting is that UniFi as well as Streamyx customer will able to enjoy the deal without the need to register for iflix. At the same time, existing iflix subscribers also don’t even need to log into their iflix as well when they are connected to UniFi or Streamyx.

All they got to do is open iflix’s website on their PCs or iflix mobile app through their smartphones and tablets through their UniFi and Streamyx. Apparently, iflix backend system is able to automatically recognize devices that connect through either of the services using a proprietary technology that detects IP and network ID of the devices.
iflix believe that it is a world’s first and the company is looking into patenting the tech according to its CEO, Azran Osman-Rani. As for the possibility of having iflix app on the Android-based HyppTV set top box (we mean officially), it is not known at the moment as both companies are currently more focused on delivering the initial experience via web and mobile apps.

Meanwhile, do note that the free access to iflix on Streamyx is only available for customers with 4Mbps and 8Mbps packages. If you wondering what iflix is all about, check out our hands on experience with the service right here.

http://www.lowyat.net/2015/85976/tm-unifi-...n-for-one-year/

Pope Francis: Christians and Muslims are brothers

tentang rasa — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:29:03 +0800

Pope Francis has told worshippers in a mosque in the Central African Republic that "Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters".

He was speaking to Muslims who had sought shelter in the capital Bangui after nearly three years of violence between Christians and Muslims.

The mosque visit was seen as perhaps the most difficult part of his Africa tour, a BBC correspondent says
Pope Francis then held the final Mass of his Africa trip in Bangui.

He was speaking in Latin, which was then translated into the local Sango language.

His message of reconciliation appeared to have an immediate impact, as a reporter from the AFP news agency spotted a group of Muslim rebels turn up at the Mass wearing t-shirts with the Pope's image on them.

The Pope has now left the CAR at the end of his six-day visit to the continent.

More than 100,000 Muslims fled the capital as a result of the fighting but 15,000 are left in an area called PK5, according to the campaign group Human Rights Watch.

Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi thanked the Pope for his visit and said it was "a symbol which we all understand", the AP news agency reports.

There was tight security for the visit to the Koudoukou mosque and armed UN peacekeepers were stationed on its minarets watching the crowds who had come to greet the pontiff.

On Sunday, the Pope called on fighting factions in the CAR to lay down their weapons.
About half of CAR's population is Christian and 15% Muslim.

Pope Francis is welcomed by Imam Tiding Moussa Naibi, left, on the occasion of his visit at the Central Mosque in Bangui

Celebrating Mass in Bangui, he said they should instead arm themselves "with justice, love, mercy and authentic peace".

Earlier, he said he hoped next month's election in the CAR would open a "new chapter" for the country.

The trip to the CAR was the pontiff's first visit to a conflict zone and the final stop on his three-nation African tour that also took in Kenya and Uganda.

Conflict has blighted the CAR for decades but it was only in 2013 that the fighting took on a religious form.
President Francois Bozize was ousted in a coup in March 2013 and a group of mostly Muslim rebels from the north, the Seleka, marched on Bangui, briefly taking control of the country.

Their rebellion tapped into a feeling northerners had of being excluded and unrepresented by the central government, correspondents say.

They targeted churches and Christian communities, which triggered the creation of the anti-Balaka - meaning anti-violence - militias, and led to a downward spiral of tit-for-tat violence which continues.

Towns and villages are divided, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced into camps divided along religious lines.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34960971