Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Man jailed wrongly, gets $129,800 compensation

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A man in China, who was jailed for almost nine years for a murder which he didn't commit, will get 890,000 Yuan ($129,800) from the government as compensation, a media report said on Tuesday.

Wang Zifa, who was released August 20, signed an agreement with officials in Hechi city of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region after they agreed to add 140,000 yuan to the original compensation package and paid off his medical treatment, according to Shanghai Daily.

Wang's fate changed when the real murderer turned up last year. Wang said that he wanted the local government to publish a statement about his innocence and investigate those police officers and judges responsible for his imprisonment.

But he seemed to have compromised after one of the city officials apologised personally to him and his family, the report said.

Man finally spots 'UFO' after 30 years of waiting

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A man from Brisbane has finally spotted 'UFO', after spending 30 years searching for one.

Erik Black, 49, who has been interested in UFOs since he was a child, revealed that he had only heard or read about them and had never seen a "real one" until 2010 election night.

"I have been researching UFOs for almost all my life and every time I came to the Northern Territory for holidays I read a UFO story in the newspaper, so I thought the NT was the place to be," the Courier Mail quoted him as telling the NT News.

Black said he had already spent four weeks of unsuccessful UFO-hunting in Darwin's rural area before he finally came across "something very unexpected" in Humpty Doo.

He described the object as being "amber-coloured" and "shaped like a hamburger, with black dots" and "weird-looking headlights".

"I thought it was a low-flying plane ... suddenly it was straight over my head - I wasn't really expecting what I saw," he stated.

Black said he was enveloped by "dead silence", when the "thing" was above him for about 30 seconds before it "disappeared rapidly".

He said he felt good to have finally spotted a UFO, but was "terribly disappointed" that he was not able to take a picture, as he was too busy staring at the object.

"I had my camera there and everything, but I just stared," he said.

"But I'll be coming back next year. The Territory is the place to see UFOs," he added

Aliens exist but are yet to visit earth

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Extra-terrestrial beings do exist but they have not yet come to visit our planet, and the best way to communicate with aliens is to send radio signals, a top Chinese official said Tuesday.

Zhu Jin, curator of the Beijing Planetarium, said aliens are likely to be present on some planets. Since there are about one trillion planets going around fixed stars, the possibility of the earth being the only planet with living creatures was "too slim to be true", China Daily reported.

But as to reports of sighting of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), Zhu said they cannot be true.

Some UFOs were proved to be planes, kites or other normal objects, and many weird situations can be re-demonstrated and re-created, he said.

Zhu said the distance the Voyager 1 spacecraft has travelled in the past 33 years only accounts for one-thousandth of the solar system's reach. It will take 10,000 years for human beings to visit planets outside the solar system.

So, if aliens living in a faraway planet have a similar level of intelligence as human beings, it was impossible for them to travel to earth, he said.


Tiger Woods moves into Manhattan apartment: Report

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A week after his divorce, world's top golfer Tiger Woods has moved into an apartment in Manhattan here.

A witness saw 34-year-old Woods "introducing himself as the new neighbour," a source told US Magazine. Two days after the divorce, Woods wished his ex-wife Elin Nordegren 'the best' in life and expressed sadness at how things had unravelled following disclosure of his sex scandal that rocked their marriage.

"I wish her the best in everything," Woods had said speaking to journalists in Paramus, NJ, a day before the start of the Barclays Tournament last week. "You know, it's a sad time in our lives. And we're looking forward in our lives and how we can help our kids the best way we possibly can. And that's the most important thing."

The downward spiral for the couple began when the golfer's extramarital affairs with dozens of women became public last year. Shocking details of his private life received worldwide attention with several of the golfer's mistresses coming forward to provide information about his infidelity.

Cricket scandal could hit flood aid for Pakistan

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The match fixing scandal could hit aid for victims of floods that have ravaged Pakistan, feared a British MP who added that it was "absolutely the worst thing that could have happened now".

Khalid Mahmood, a Labour MP from Perry Barr in Birmingham, said: "It's very damaging to Pakistan, especially to the relief effort."

"It's very negative and absolutely the worst thing that could have happened now. A lot of people of Pakistani origin are hugely disappointed to the extent that they don't want to have any association with the cricket team any more. They feel hugely let down and disgraced," Daily Express Tuesday quoted him as saying.

Mazhar Majeed, a 35-year-old agent, was caught on videotape accepting 150,000 pounds in a sting operation conducted by The News of the World (NOTW) tabloid.

Three Pakistani players - captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - are charged with under-performing in the fourth Test match between England and Pakistan.

The MP said that people will think twice before giving cash.

"It will have a knock-on effect.

"The people (of Pakistan) will have many more troubles heading their way because of the flooding, through disease and famine, so they are in desperate need of help. But such a disgraceful, negative story will cancel out an awful lot of good work that has been done."

Now, romance your virtual girlfriend on an iPhone!

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A Japanese beach-resort has come up with a novel idea where tourists can enjoy the evening sunset - with a virtual girlfriend.

Atami, a Pacific coast resort southwest of the metropolis, has attracted many men this year who are armed with their iPhones and Nintendo DS consoles, ready to spend some quality time with their virtual girlfriends that are brought to life using augmented reality (AR) software.

"Look, it's like I'm in a snapshot with her," Discovery News quoted Shu Watanabe as saying, as he showed off his iPhone display, featuring himself next to the image of a doe-eyed cartoon character named Rinko, a smiling high school girl.

Rinko is the result of Love Plus, a dating sim or simulation game that is played on handheld Nintendo DS consoles and also boasts AR applications for iPhones.

The creators, Konami Digital Entertainment, are a hit with men obsessed with high-tech, manga and anime, known as 'otaku,' as it lets them chase virtual girls in the alternative universe of their digital dreams.

Now, the company has selected 13 romantic locations which can be overlaid with images of Rinko or her teenage friends Manaka and Nene, who have all swapped their usual sailor-style school uniforms for casual summer wear.

The local Ohnoya hotel even offers traditional rooms to the unusual couples, which feature two sets of futon beds and another barcode panel that allows the men to visualise their girlfriends in a flattering summer kimono.

The goal of the game is to build long lasting relationships. That means that the girl can get moody when neglected by a player who is not sufficiently committed, and that she demands attention when she feels unwell.

Big stars make small gaffes at Emmy awards

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While there were no terrible gaffes at the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, there were plenty of unplanned, nail-bitingly awkward moments during the ceremony.

Here's a roundup of the night's most cringeworthy moments.

Oops, I did it: During her acceptance speech for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Kyra Sedgwick hands off her statuette to read out her speech. Pic/AFP

Kyra Sedgwick's handoff to Tina Fey
We appreciate that Kyra Sedgwick had a speech planned so she wouldn't forget anyone important when accepting her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award.

However, brusquely handing off her brand new statuette to presenter Tina Fey so she could hold her crib sheet was a serious faux pas.

Top Chef Producer knocked off her feet
Top Chef might have knocked The Amazing Race from its Outstanding Reality-Competition Program throne, but one of the Top Chef entourage members was literally knocked off her feet as she walked to the stage to accept the show's first Emmy.

Luckily, she tripped out of camera range and people only saw the beginning of her fall, or her stumble would've been immortalised in animated GIF form across the Internet the next morning.

Al Pacino going on ... and on
Pacino rambled on and on as he thanked friends, family and the crew members in his extra-long acceptance speech.

Claire Danes and Archie Panjabi's awkward speeches
Spur-of-the-moment speeches are the best kind, but they can also spawn some painful soundbites. Claire Danes, was overjoyed "like, for serious" when she won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie award, and Archie Panjabi, said "this is great for my career" when accepting her Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award.


BP accepts Fault for oil spill, three months later

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BP has for the first time admitted that it made mistakes, which led to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to US reports.

The oil giant's internal investigation found that managers misinterpreted data that told them a blowout was imminent on the very day the disaster happened.

Hours later the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 men and causing the worst environmental disaster in US history.

BP has long avoided shouldering the blame for the accident, as it grapples with the legal and financial fallout.

Study results
Now, its own internal probe, which it began immediately after the spill began, found that on April 20
managers misread pressure data and gave their approval for rig workers to replace drilling fluid in the well with seawater.

The seawater was not heavy enough to prevent gas that had been leaking into the well from firing up the pipe to the rig, causing the explosion.

The investigation has also asked why John Guide, an engineer with BP and the team leader overseeing the project, ignored warnings about weaknesses in cement outside the well, which could have prevented the gas from escaping. BP intends to release details of the 200-page report in the next week or so.

It was led by Mark Bly, its head of safety and operations and involved interviews with staff ranging from engineers up to vice presidents and a review of internal documents.

The conclusion was that BP was partly to blame, as was Transocean, which owned the rig.

BP faces a string of other probes by US authorities including the US Justice Department and several Congressional Committees.

Under pressure
Since the spill happened, BP has vowed to take full responsibility for the clean-up after coming under pressure from the Obama administration to do so.

The company has been forced to suspend dividends as its value plunged by more than half.

Beleaguered chief executive Tony Hayward has also been forced to hand in his resignation after a string of gaffes.

BP has refused to comment on the leaked memo.


LiLo pulled over by cops

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It hasn't taken Lindsay Lohan long to reacquaint herself with LA cops following her DUI sentence.

The troubled actress, who was released early from rehab on last Tuesday, had her latest brush with the law on the weekend when she was pulled over, reportedly for running a stop sign.

Lindsay was en route to notorious celebrity hangout the Chateau Marmont when police sprung into action.

Fortunately, for the star, officers gave her a ticking off and a warning before sending Lindsay on her way.

The actress is walking a legal tightrope after her brief stint behind bars for probation violations stemming from her 2007 conviction for drink-driving.

She's set to travel to Louisiana in November in a bid to get her career back on track, playing porn legend Linda Loveface in Inferno.

However, if she falls foul of the law before then, the judge is likely to ban her from leaving California.


Marriage vowed in Chile cave-in

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Esteban Rojas won't let 2,300 feet of rock stand between him and a church wedding with the woman he loves.

Rojas, one of the 33 Chilean trapped miners since an August 5 cave-in has sent a letter officially proposing to his long-time sweetheart, it was reported.

The 44-year-old had wed Jessica Yanez, (43) in a civil ceremony 25 years ago, but had never given her the church wedding that is customary in Chile. So he sent his proposal in a letter sent up from the air pocket where he and his fellow miners are trapped.

"Please keep praying that we get out of this alive. And when I do get out, we will buy a dress and get married," he wrote on the scrap of paper.

Rojas and Yanez got to speak briefly for 20 seconds by phone on Sunday through a line. The couple has three children and two grandchildren together.

"I thought he was never going to ask me." Yanez said. "He knows that however long it takes, I'll wait for him, because with him I've been through good and bad."


Chinese student cycles 15 days to attend her college

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A 19-year-old Chinese woman and her father cycled about 15 days covering 1,200 km to attend her first day in college in Beijing, a media report said on Monday.

Wang Xiaohan became the first woman to undertake such a feat. She arrived in Beijing on Saturday, People's Daily reported.

"Bike riding is good for the environment and you get to enjoy the views on the way," said Wang, a fresher of environmental engineering at Beijing Forestry University.

Wang and her father started the journey from Xi'an in Shanxi province August 14 - a route she picked that takes them through many historical places. Cities on the route included Luoyang, an important city in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Wang stamped a red flag, which she carried for the trip, with the postal seal of every city they visited.

"The cost of the trip, including admission fees to historical parks, museums and guesthouse accommodation worked out at about 3,000 yuan ($441)," Wang's father said.

She was heralded at her university as the first student to leave a zero carbon footprint on her journey to college, the Beijing Evening News said.

Wang had earlier gone on biking adventures with her father, including to Lhasa, Tibet.
Posted by Harshad at 7:33 AM

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