One in four worldwide pays bribes: study

BERLIN: One person in four worldwide paid a bribe during the past year, according to a study released on Thursday to mark International Anti-Corruption Day. The study, by the Berlin-based non-governmental agency Transparency International, focuses on small-scale bribery and was put together from polls
conducted among more than 91,000 people in 86 countries and territories.

In the past 12 months, one in four paid a bribe to one of nine institutions, such as health, education or tax authorities, according to the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.

But it was the police who proved most corrupt, according to the study, which reported that 29% of those having dealings with police said they had paid a bribe.

Worldwide, sub-Saharan Africa was the region reporting the greatest incidence of bribery with more than one person in two saying they had made such payments to officials in the past 12 months.

The Middle East and North Africa was the next most corrupt region with 36% of people there reporting having paid a bribe.

This compared to 32% in the former Soviet republics, 23% in South America, 19% in the Balkans and Turkey, 11% in the Asia-Pacific region, and 5% in the European Union and North America.

Countries topping the list for reported bribe payments over the year were Afghanistan, Cambodia, Cameroon, India, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, the Palestinian territories, Senegal, Sierre Leone and Uganda, where more than one person out of two said they had handed out financial sweeteners to officials.

Nearly half of respondents said they paid to avoid problems, while a quarter said it was meant to speed up procedures.

Lower income earners reported paying more bribes than the better paid.

The study, the seventh on the matter by Transparency International since 2003, this time involved a greater number of countries, including for the first time China, Bangladesh and the Palestinian territories.

Polling, mostly by the Gallup Institute, was conducted between June 1 and September 30.

The United Nations established International Anti-Corruption Day in 2003 to raise awareness of graft and promote the global fight against it.

Dog causes emergency flight landing in Pittsburgh

NEW YORK: A plane heading to Phoenix had to make an emergency landing in Pittsburgh after a dog on board bit a flight attendant and a passenger.

The US Airways flight left Newark, New Jersey Monday when the 89-year-old female owner let the animal out of its carrier.

Spokesman for the airline Todd Lehmacher said the pilot made the decision to land in Pittsburgh to ensure passenger safety and to get the wounds of the two that had been bitten looked at.

Mandy - a 12lb Manchester terrier - snapped her way down the aisle of the US Airways flight in the skies above New Jersey after being let out of her travel carrier by her elderly owner.

The woman put Mandy on her lap after the dog's tranquilizers wore off despite being told not to.

Captain of Flight 522 notified authorities of the incident at 7.22am local time.

He said: 'The captain felt in the interest of safety, it was better to land and have them looked at than continue on'.

Mr Lehmacher said US Airways permits passengers to travel with some pets only if they are secured in approved carriers and kept under their seats for a one-way fee of $100..

The plane had 122 passengers and five crew members on board.

The severity of the bites are not yet known but the victims were treated by medical personnel at Pittsburgh International Airport.

It is unclear if the passenger will face any fines or penalties for letting the pooch out of its carrier.

New world record set in TV watching

LOS ANGELES: Three southern California men have broken a Guinness world record for continuous TV watching, in a special Plexiglass theater for 86 hours and six minutes.


Farris Hodo, Kevin Cood and Victor Lopez outlasted 97 other contestants to earn the record as the endurance contest concluded four days after it began three days ago at the Hollywood & Highland central courtyard.

Each of the three finalists was awarded a Guinness World Record certificate and 10,000 U.S. dollars in prize money.

They beat the Guinness record -- which was 86 hours -- by six minutes



Scientists say on way to solving anti-matter mystery

GENEVA: European scientists reported the creation and capture of anti-hydrogen atoms in a novel magnetic trap and said it put them on track to solving one of the great cosmic mysteries -- the make-up of anti-matter.


Anti-matter is of intense interest outside the global scientific community because it has often been cited as a potential source of boundless and almost cost-free energy.

The announcement from CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, came just three weeks after another of the three teams working separately on the problem at the particle research centre near Geneva said they had briefly made and caught the elusive atoms for the first time.

"With these alternative methods of producing and eventually studying anti-hydrogen, anti-matter will not be able to hide its properties from us for much longer," said Yasunori Yamazaki of the team that scored the latest breakthrough.

Anti, or neutral, matter is believed to have been created in the same quantities as conventional matter -- the substance of everything visible in the universe including life on earth -- at the moment of the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.

A theme of much science fiction, it was only discovered by U.S. physicist David Anderson in 1932.

As the latest breakthrough was reported, CERN engineers were closing down the centre's showpiece Large Hadron Collider or LHC for a two-month break after eight months of scientific success in research into how the universe began.

CERN's Director-General Rolf Heuer said that new discoveries were rolling in so fast that it was likely the initial phase of LHC operations would be stretched to the end of 2012, a year longer than planned.

His deputy Sergio Bertolucci said the LHC was moving rapidly into totally new territories of scientific knowledge and the coming months could bring real insight into the "dark matter" that makes up 25 percent of the universe.

Physicists and cosmologists speculate that "dark matter" -- so called because it reflects no light and cannot be seen -- could account for at least some of the missing anti-matter, particles which were first spotted at CERN in 2002.

Some suggest it may have also some relation to the "dark energy" that constitutes about 70 percent of the universe leaving only 5 percent for the visible parts -- galaxies, stars and planets -- that can be observed from earth or nearby.

Monday's announcement said the "ASACUSA" experiment, in a CERN storage ring known as the Antiproton Decelerator or AD, captured "significant numbers" of anti-hydrogen atoms in flight in a particle trap called CUSP.

Last month the parallel, and complementary, ALPHA experiment at the AD captured 38 anti-hydrogen atoms in flight and held them fleetingly, making possible initial observations of their properties and behaviour.

New equipment developed by ASACUSA, ALPHA and a third experiment, ATRAP, has overcome the problem that prevented close study of anti-particles until now -- the fact that when they meet other matter they self-destruct.

Statue made of panda dung sold for $45,000 in China

BEIJING: A former Swiss ambassador to China turned art collector has forked out 300,000 yuan (45,000 dollars) for a replica of the famed Venus de Milo statue -- made from panda dung.


Children from the southwestern province of Sichuan, the home of China's beloved giant panda, made the unusual statue with the help of famous sculptor Zhu Cheng, popular web portal Sina reported.

The work of art, on display in a museum in the central province of Henan, attracted droves of onlookers and was eventually sold to Uli Sigg, a Swiss businessman who collects contemporary Chinese art, another report said.

An employee at the Henan Art Museum, surnamed Zhao, on Friday confirmed to a French news agency that a statue made of panda faeces had been sold to Sigg, Swiss ambassador to China in the 1990s, who spent a total of one million yuan on artworks.

The statue was the main talk of the show, attracting people not because it was a replica of a famous sculpture, but because of the material from which it was made, the report said.

"From time to time, people get closer to the statue and smell this yellow Venus and some claim it smells nice," it added.


Thai tech pioneer converts waste into wealth

BANGKOK: Paijit Sangchai drops a small piece of laminated paper into a jar of cloudy liquid which he hopes will transform his start-up into a multi-million dollar company and help revolutionise recycling.


"Now this is the fun part," he says a few minutes later, holding it under the tap to wash away soggy paper pulp and reveal a clear plastic film.

His Thai firm, Flexoresearch, has developed a series of blended enzymes that can recover pulp or fibre from laminated paper such as cigarette packets, stickers or milk cartons that were previously hard or impossible to recycle.

First one enzyme attacks the water resistant chemical coating the surface, then others take over and tackle the paper and adhesive layers.

The resulting pulp, he says, can be used to produce new paper products -- thus saving trees -- or turned into building materials that can be used as an alternative to asbestos, which is potentially hazardous to human health.

The technique, believed to be the first of its kind, also produces clean plastic that can be recycled and used to produce new products.

The firm was recently named one of 31 "Technology Pioneers" by the World Economic Forum, which said its products were "poised to reduce the use of asbestos in the developing world, positively impacting people's health."

Time Magazine described Flexoresearch as one of "10 start-ups that will change your life".

It is a rare honour to be bestowed on an entrepreneur in a country hardly renowned for its technological prowess.

In developing countries such as Thailand, laminated paper is usually thrown away, Paijit says.

"Most people burn it illegally and that causes toxic fumes which harm people's health," he tells at his small laboratory in a science park on the northern outskirts of Bangkok.

"For people in developing countries who suffer from the fumes and don't know why they are sick ... it can help improve their lives," he adds.

And while developed countries like the United States are able to incinerate laminated paper such as fast food wrappers safely, they do not have any commercially viable way to recycle it either, he says.

"Every country uses laminated paper, in stickers and wrappers of food like McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken. That's all laminated and people throw it away," he says. "I think this a global market."

Since winning the Technology Pioneer award -- previous recipients of which include Google and Twitter -- Paijit has been flooded with thousands of emails, mostly from venture capitalists interested in investing in his start-up.

But the affable company founder and CEO is not interested in borrowing more money or selling stakes to investors.

He is looking for people overseas who want to licence the technology, which is already attracting interest in countries including Malaysia, Japan, China, South Korea and India.

"I want to work with people around the world to heal the environment," says Paijit.

It is a far cry from the days he spent experimenting with enzymes produced from mushrooms in a home laboratory after quitting a more than decade-long, well-paid career with a leading Thai industrial giant four years ago.

He invested his savings, then borrowed heavily from the bank, putting up his house as collateral to keep the project going and build a paper mill in eastern Bangkok.

At one point the firm was in debt to the tune of about 1.5 million dollars, but it has since repaid all the money and now employs 17 people.

And Paijit is already eyeing ways to turn other problems into profits, including a technique to turn used liquid coolant drained from refrigeration systems into oil that can be used in the construction industry.

"I make a profit from a problem. I convert waste into wealth," he says.

Polanski's ‘Ghost Writer’ tops Europe film awards

LONDON: French-Polish director Roman Polanski's political thriller "The Ghost Writer" swept the European Film Awards on Saturday, picking up six prizes including best movie, director, actor and screenplay.


The annual awards, held this year in the Estonian capital Tallinn, also honoured Israeli war drama "Lebanon", shot almost entirely from inside a tank. Lebanon won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice film festival in 2009.
Polanski, who spent several months this year under house arrest in Switzerland but avoided extradition to the United States in connection with a 1977 sex crime, did not attend the prize ceremony but appeared via Skype from his Paris home.

Polanski was named best director, the movie -- with a lead role loosely based on former British prime minister Tony Blair -- was best European film, its star Ewan McGregor picked up the best actor award and Polanski and Robert Harris won the best script writer category.

Following is a list of the main winners:

Best film - The Ghost Writer

Best director - Roman Polanski/The Ghost Writer

Best actress - Sylvie Testud/Lourdes

Best actor - Ewan McGregor/The Ghost Writer

Best screenwriter - Robert Harris and Roman Polanski/The Ghost Writer

Best cinematographer - Giora Bejach/Lebanon

Best editor - Luc Barnier and Marion Monnier/Carlos

Best production designer - Albrecht Konrad/The Ghost Writer

Best composer - Alexandre Desplat/The Ghost Writer

European discovery - Lebanon

Best documentary - Nostalgia de la Luz

Best animated feature - The Illusionist

Best short film - Hanoi - Warszawa

Lifetime achievement award - Bruno Ganz, actor

Achievement in world cinema - Gabriel Yared, composer

People choice - Mr. Nobody.

RIO DE JANEIRO: Thousands of people turned out in Rio de Janeiro for the lighting of the world’s largest floating Christmas tree in Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.

A concert, featuring master of ceremonies Jose Mayer and singer Simone, officially inaugurated the Christmas celebrations, which will conclude the holiday season with a big party on New Year’s Eve.
The 85-meter (278-foot) floating tree, adorned with 2.9 million lights and 1,600 Christmas ornaments, required 52 kilometers (32 miles) of cables to light.

The 520-ton tree has already made it into the Guinness World Records as the largest tree of its kind in the world.   

Modern building with dynamic facade in Austria

VIENNA: Dynamic exterior of Kiefer Technic Showroom in Bad Gleichenberg, Austria consists of electric window shutters made of perforated aluminum.


Unique facade, designed by Ernst Giselbrecht, changes throughout the day, transforming the building into a dynamic sculpture.

Austrian firm Ernst Giselbrecht + Partner developed the Kiefertechnic Architecture Showroom in Styria, Austria.

Office building including exhibition space for product presentation Shell construction: solid brick walls, reinforced concrete ceiling (floor), along the façade steel columns with concrete filling Facades: consisting of aluminum posts and transoms with protruding bridges for maintenance purposes, respectively EIFS-facade with white plaster Sun screen: electronic shutters made of perforated aluminum plates.

This facade changes continuously; each day, each hour shows a new “face” – the facade is turning into a dynamic sculpture.

Google Chrome OS netbook coming Dec. 7th

NEW YORK: It’s been a long stretch, but Google is nearing the finish line with its Chrome OS netbook operating system. The company sent out invitations today to a Chrome event on Tuesday, December 7th, where it will launch its Chrome OS netbook, sources tell Engadget.


But don’t expect to get your hands on one anytime soon. Apparently, there will only be around 65,000 units produced, and those will go to Google’s closest “friends and family.”

its a testing method the company has already used for its Nexus S Android phone, and which it seems to be using for its upcoming Nexus S phone. The version of Chrome OS on the devices will also be an early beta release that’s not quite ready for prime time, so Google wouldn’t want to sell the netbooks to general consumers.

The news follows our report from early November that speculated Google was set to launch Chrome OS smartbooks during that month. Many of the details from that report seem to be validated with this latest news — namely the low production amounts, and that the devices will be manufactured by Taiwanese firm Inventec.

That earlier report was wrong about the first Chrome OS device being a smartbook though — it’s apparently running an Intel Atom Pine Trail processor, like a typical netbook, and not a cellphone processor as smartbooks generally do.

All Things Digital is also reporting that Google is gearing up to launch its Chrome App Store on December 7th, which would house web apps that would work on Chrome OS, as well as Chrome browsers on any platform. What better way to launch your app store than with a shiny new device?

Chrome OS and other devices running it won’t be available to consumers until 2011. Hopefully by then, Google can get a better sense of what it actually wants to do with Chrome OS. We reported last week that Google executives still don’t have a clear way to define the OS.

A Sequel to Kung Fu Panda In 2011

LOS ANGELES: Kung Fu Panda is getting a sequel, and with it comes this teaser that was attached in front of Megamind.

The sequel is being dubbed, “The Kaboom of Doom”. The question is, will this be the next thing that DreamWorks Animation suck dry like they did with Shrek? Probably, but let’s hope that it doesn’t so that there will be a healthy competition against Pixar, since they keep churning out quality films.

Kung Fu Panda 2, AKA, will be in theaters on May 26, 2011.
 
 
 
Madonna's new gym overcomes Mexican bureaucracy
MEXICO CITY: Madonna's new gym in Mexico City was finally given a permit to operate, a local official said Wednesday, two days after the US pop diva inaugurated the luxury workout space.

The Hard Candy gym had been prevented from opening because it lacked permits for land use and for its parking lot, Demetrio Sodi, head of the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City, and uncle of Latin pop diva Thalia, said.



"It was authorized during the day (Wednesday)," he later told Radio Formula.



"People usually check they have all the permits before inaugurating something," Sodi said.



No one answered telephone calls made to the gym and its public relations company on Wednesday.



Madonna was in Mexico City on Monday to open the first Hard Candy Fitness club, part of a global chain she and her business partners are unveiling around the world.



Sodi said the gym was granted a special permit for the inauguration, in a country renowned for its cumbersome bureaucracy.



The gym is set in a lavish, three-story, 3,000 square meter (32,000 square foot) space in the Mexican capital's exclusive Lomas Altas neighborhood
 
 
Anil Kapur, Khanna promote ‘No Problem’

CHANDIGARH: Bollywood stars Anil Kapur and Akshaye Khanna have arrived Chandigarh for the promotion of their upcoming film ‘No Problem’, Geo News reported on Friday.


Addressing the ceremony, Anil Kapur said he was playing the role of a policeman while Sunjay Dutt Akshaye Khanna have a role of thieves.


Akshaye Khanna said the film is full of comedy, adding that they enjoyed a lot during the shooting of the film.

The film will be released on December 10.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Sony Fusion Computer Coffee Table Is A Perfect Fusion of Furniture And Technology

Sony has been coming up with excellent new inventions since is birth in 1950′s and this time it has been put forth in a modern innovative idea of fusing Technology with furniture by making the Sony Fusion Coffee Table

The Sony Fusion Coffee Table, as it’s name explains, is basically a desktop smartly infused with coffee table…similar to the PS3 Controller Coffee Table. It would be quite awesome to have a meeting and a date at the very same time. The concept table would have a matte black aluminum top with a sleek chrome lining with arched chrome legs to support the table and to transform the table into your very own work station, all you would need to do is press a simple button. The desktop part of it would comprise of a touch sensitive keyboard with an adjustable screen; the table top divides  into two halves and smoothly slides without making any sort of clumsy sound to unveil it’s LED outlined keyboard, it’s screen and DVD drive on it’s side; this awesome table would be available in three colors namely red, white & blue but you need to shell out a little more for it’s priced at $3000.

But another coffee table that would not burden your pockets that much are the LED Video Coffee Tables and now that you have your coffee tables how about some Arcade Coffee Mugs?