Apple dumps 8 million defective iPhone5

 

Apple Inc.’s Chinese manufacturer Foxconn recently got a very expensive lesson in quality (and a rude shock too) when the Cupertino-based technology giant shipped back, with a return-to-sender note, a consignment containing up to 8 million defective iPhone 5 smartphones.

[Representation Image]

While that has triggered online speculation about another delay in the unveiling of the much-awaited and hugely rumoured transparent iPhone 6 smartphone, the rejected consignment most probably belongs to the current generation of the smartphone, the iPhone 5, and not the upcoming iteration.

Nevertheless, the rejection of the entire consignment, first reported by China Business News is estimated to cost Foxconn upward of $250 million in just labour costs, not to mention the cost of the parts and inventory that will go into replacing the defective devices.

The report (translated by Google Chrome) maintains that, on March 15, 2013, Apple returned five million mobile phones citing “non-compliant” and “dysfunction” issues with the devices. Considering that Foxconn will have been, by now, fairly adept at manufacturing the iPhone 5, this lends further credence to rumours that the rejected lot might well be of the upcoming iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S devices.

Quoting unnamed “Foxconn insiders,” the report says that the number of rejected phones could go up to as much as 8 million. It says that Terry Gou, Chairman and President of Hon Hai Precision Industry (a.k.a. Foxconn) walked onto the shop-floor of the manufacturer on April 16, and urged supervisors and workers “to enhance the yield, professional training, the promotion of morale” while announcing the setting up of a quality control office after the latest debacle.

China Business News maintains that Foxconn stands to lose 200 yuan ($32) apiece in labour costs, which would add up to $256.8 million for 8 million faulty iPhones. It adds that this would imply that two-thirds of Foxconn’s profits for 2012 “will go down the drain”.

The portal did not clarify which model of the iPhone failed Apple’s quality tests, and this is fuelling rumours about a delay in the upcoming iPhone 6. But if it’s the iPhone 5 that Foxconn got wrong, we’ll soon know because an 8 million hole in the supply chain will not go undetected at the retail front, where customers will be told to wait longer than usual for the arrival of the device.

In addition, keep an eye out on ‘scrap sales’ in China for iPhones if they can’t be salvaged to Apple’s liking by Foxconn.

Kerry in China to Seek Help in Korea Crisis

Secretary of State John Kerry flew to China on Saturday and sought to elicit China’s help in dealing with an increasingly recalcitrant nuclear armed North Korea by saying that American missile defenses could be cut back if the North abandoned its nuclear program.

Mr. Kerry’s trip to China, his first since taking office, is part of an intensive three-day push to try to calm tensions on the Korean Peninsula that have threatened to spiral out of control and rattled world leaders.

In a news conference, Mr. Kerry suggested that the United States could remove some newly enhanced missile defenses in the region, though he did not specify which ones. Any eventual cutback would address Chinese concerns about the buildup of American weapons systems in the region.

After back-to-back meetings between Mr. Kerry and China’s top leaders, the two countries announced that they endorsed the principle of ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons, though China did not state publicly what steps it might take to achieve that goal after years of reluctance to crack down on Pyongyang.

“We also joined together in calling on North Korea to refrain from provocations and to abide by international obligations,” Mr. Kerry said.

Worries spiked last week as the South Koreans predicted the North could launch a new missile test any day and after the disclosure that an American intelligence agency concluded for the first time with “moderate confidence” that North Korea learned how to make a nuclear warhead small enough to be delivered by a ballistic missile. The administration has since said that it was premature to conclude that Pyongyang had a fully tested weapons system.

Mr. Kerry’s stance on newly fortified missile defenses appeared to be a selling point to get China, the only country presumed to have any real influence over North Korea, to do what it has long resisted — crack down hard enough that North Korea’s leaders will give up an increasingly sophisticated nuclear program.

In recent weeks, the administration has dispatched two ships outfitted with Aegis antimissile defenses to the region and said it will speed up the positioning of land-based missile defenses on Guam to protect allies in the region after North Korea’s threats to rain missiles on United States troops there and on South Korea.

Many Chinese believe the antimissile systems are part of a containment strategy against them at a time when the United States is pursuing a “pivot” to Asia.

In the past, China has been motivated by a different fear: that any move to destabilize the North would lead to a collapse of the regime and deliver the entire peninsula to the United States’ sphere of influence, possibly bringing American troops in South Korea closer to its border.

China’s cooperation is essential to the Obama administration’s strategy of holding a tough line on Pyongyang in an attempt to achieve the type of long-lasting solution on the nuclear program that has eluded a string of United States presidents. Previous administrations responded to North Korean provocations by eventually offering aid to tamp down tensions, only to see the North’s promises to relinquish its nuclear program evaporate once the aid had been delivered.

Mr. Kerry said he explained to China why the United States felt it needed more missile defenses in the region.

“Obviously if the threat disappears — i.e. North Korea denuclearizes — the same imperative does not exist at that point of time for us to have that kind of robust forward leaning posture of defense,” he said. “And it would be our hope in the long run, or better yet in short run, that we can address that.”

Mr. Kerry’s remarks are likely to stir concern among staunch advocates of missile defense in the United States, who also see antimissile systems as a means of responding to China’s growing military might. His aides say any changes would require the input of the Pentagon.

Even if China were to take a strong position with its longtime ally, possibly cutting back essential aid and fuel, North Korea might not fall into line. Under its new leader, Kim Jong-un, the North has snubbed China several times, including refusing Chinese entreaties to cancel the recent nuclear test that set off the war of words on the Peninsula.

At the core of the issue is the United States’ inability to draw North Korea into a serious round of nuclear talks. North Korea’s apparent determination to expand its nuclear weapons program and the American demand that it commit up front to eventually relinquishing those arms have raised the question of whether there is even any basis for negotiations. “China has an enormous ability to help make a difference here,” Mr. Kerry said on Friday in Seoul.

The Chinese stance on North Korea has never been a simple one. On one hand, the Chinese prize stability and are eager to avoid a crisis that would spawn a flood of refugees or prompt the United States to shift more forces to the Pacific. On the other hand, that same concern for stability has meant that it is reluctant to take steps that would undermine the North Korean government’s hold on power and eliminate a friendly buffer between Chinese territory and South Korean and American forces.

In Beijing, Mr. Kerry met with the new president, Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Premier Li Keqiang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

Mr. Yang said at a dinner with Mr. Kerry on Saturday night that China was committed to “the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula.” But the Chinese state councilor also stressed that the “issue should be handled and resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation.”

To encourage the Chinese to deal with the North Korean nuclear problem, Mr. Kerry said that he had shared “very in-depth” information illustrating the danger of how a nuclear North Korea could promote the proliferation of nuclear arms in Asia and the Middle East.

Mr. Kerry said his aim was to find a way to revive the goals of the six-party talks on the North’s nuclear program, which have been stalled since 2009 when North Korea withdrew. The talks have included North and South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the United States.

He also portrayed cooperation on North Korea as just one element of a “model partnership” the United States hoped to build with China on diplomatic, economic and environmental issues.

Mr. Kerry said there would be additional discussions in the weeks ahead with the Chinese that would involve American intelligence experts including Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The two sides also called on North Korea to refrain from provocations, an apparent allusion to a potential missile test the South Koreans said could happen soon.

Bonnie S. Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said China was very frustrated with Mr. Kim and was taking some action, like cracking down on the flow of illicit North Korean funds through Chinese banks. At the same time, she noted, the Chinese fear the United States’ recent actions, including a test flight of B-2 bombers over South Korea, would further incite the North.

The United States “keeps sending more fighter bombers and missile defense ships to the waters of East Asia and carrying out massive military drills with Asian allies in a dramatic display of pre-emptive power,” the state-run news agency Xinhua said Saturday.

 Jane Perlez contributed reporting.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: April 13, 2013

 An earlier version of this article misidentified the Chinese official who stressed that “the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula” should be “handled and resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation.” It was State Councilor Yang Jiechi, not Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

By MICHAEL R. GORDON

Future Chinese Naval Bases Overseas – What Would They Be Like?

The recently realized but long in its planning, transition of the Pakistani port of Gwadar to the Chinese management company has led to a series of negative reactions from the Indian experts. India is concerned about a gradual increase of the activity of the PLA Navy in the Indian Ocean and the transition to Chinese port authorities in countries such as Pakistan or Sri Lanka and sees it as a move to encircle India within a chain of Chinese military bases. But in reality, the creation of permanent military bases here is unlikely, says the expert of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, Vasily Kashin.

According to the expert, military bases, located in the neighboring countries of India will be almost useless in case of a military confrontation between China and India. Being isolated from its mother country, the bases will be within range of Indian aviation and cruise missiles and therefore be quickly destroyed. On the other hand, the presence of a constant and a large military base in Pakistan would in turn make China a hostage of the unstable Pakistani domestic politics.

At the same time, the growing global presence of Chinese Navy will sooner or later raise the issue of establishing an appropriate global infrastructure. Already Chinese naval ships that are involved in anti -pirate patrolling off the coast of Somalia are actively using the ports of Oman, Yemen and Djibouti for restocking. Each Chinese squad, along the Somalian coast, also includes transport logistics. Usually these cargo ships restock fuel and other supplies at the local ports and then transport these to the warships at sea .The Chinese navy pays a great deal of attention to the detailed procedures involved in the transfer of fuel, food and water in the open sea.

In 2011, the Government of Seychelles directly proposed China to create a permanent military base in the islands. In response, China’s Defense Ministry stressed that the database will not be created so as not to damage the unique ecology of the islands. Although some Chinese military experts, such as Rear Admiral Wu Shengli, directly called for the establishment of foreign military bases to support operations of the fleet, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry of China have always denied the existence of such plans. At the same time they do not exclude the possibility of overseas supply points, without deployment of troops on the territory of other countries.

So, we can assume that China will adhere to a step by step approach to the creation of an infrastructure of global military presence. For the start, probably, they will follow the tried and tested tactic of the USSR- to start with the development of infrastructure of the bases overseas by creating logistics points.

An example of such an object can be considered the similar Russian point in the Syrian city of Tartous. It consists of a few warehouses and workshops onshore and a pier to which a floating workshop can be docked. Only a few permanent ground staff members are required to maintain this point. The creation of such structures avoids attracting too much attention and also avoids accusations of expansion.

This work can be developed after the implementation of some of the more important programs of the Chinese navy, in particular the formation of battle ready aircraft carrier groups. It is unlikely that for the supply bases, ports in friendly countries in the region that are already under the control of Chinese companies, such as Gwadar, will be used. Already, The Chinese Navy has no obstacles in using these ports. On the other hand, the creation of special infrastructure for the Chinese navy may be more practical in the less developed countries on the eastern coast of Africa.

Twenty Biggest Websites In The World

From online candy sales to a website to search other website, everyone has got a website under their name these days. The popularity of a website is the measure of visitors it has garnered, and it is what draws the defining lines between being big and being meager. If you were thinking Google is the biggest website in the world, you are wrong! It is another one from USA. comScore, the digital analytics company came up with the list of most popular Website in the world. If you are curious to know which ones found their way up in the ladder, then here are the 20 biggest websites in the world, compiled by Business Insider.

#20 Amazon.com 163 Million Unique Visitors

The company: Amazon.com is the world’s largest online retailer. Started as an online bookstore, it soon diversified, selling DVDs, CDs, MP3 downloads, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys and jewelry. The company was founded in 1994, spurred by what Bezos called his “regret minimization framework”, which described his efforts to fend off any regrets for not participating sooner in the internet business boom during that time. Amazon was originally founded in Bezos’ garage in Bellevue, Washington.

The company also produces consumer electronics—notably the Amazon Kindle e-book reader and the Kindle Fire Tablet—and is a major provider of cloud computing services.

#19 Sina.com.cn 169 Million Visitors

Sina.com is the largest Chinese-language infotainment web portal. It is run by Sina Corporation, which was founded in 1999. Sina was recognized by Southern Weekend as the “Chinese Language Media of the Year” for 2003 and in the early 2000s, it was known as the “Yahoo of China.” Sina launched a microblogging service Weibo in 2009, and has grown to more than 400 million users. Sina has said it has more than 60,000 verified accounts, consisting of celebrities, sports stars and other VIPs. The top 100 users now have over 180 million followers combined.

#18 WordPress.com 170.9 Million Visitors

WordPress.com is a blog web hosting service provider owned by Automattic, and powered by the open source WordPress software. WordPress has been able to attract users by offering dead-simple tools for blogging and web publishing. Given that it’s open source, WordPress has the upper hand on other platforms that require licensing fees.

There are nearly 60 million WordPress.com sites, which receive more than 100 million pageviews per day. Everyday over one million new articles and over one million comments are published. Some notable clients include CNN, CBS, BBC, Reuters, Sony and Volkswagen. In September 2010, it was announced that Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft’s blogging service, would be closing, and that Microsoft would instead be partnering with WordPress.com for blogging services.

#17 Apple.com – 171.7 Million Unique Visitors

Apple.com is online destination for Apple products and software. It is the domain for the Apple Store as well as customer support pages for all Apple products. It’s bookmarked as the default homepage on Safari browser that is the default browser in all Apple Internet-connected products which are owned by countless number of people already.

#16 Sohu.com – 175.8 Million Unique Visitors

Started in 1997 as the country’s first online search company, Sohu.com is a Chinese portal and search engine. It offers advertising, online multiplayer gaming and other services. Sohu was ranked as the world’s 3rd and 12th fastest-growing company by Fortune in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

#15 Bing.com – 184 Million Unique Visitors

Bing is a web search engine from Microsoft. The Redmond Company has aggressively advertised Bing, and made huge efforts to make the search engine much easier to use, with the addition of things like the social sidebar and improved algorithms. Microsoft also pays other Websites to link to Bing.
On July 29, 2009, Microsoft and Yahoo! announced a deal in which Bing would power Yahoo! Search.[6 hat it is: Web search engine.

#14 Twitter.com – 189.8 Million Unique Visitors

Twitter is an online social networking service and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as “tweets”. Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and by July, the social networking site was launched. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity, with over 500 million registered users as of 2012, generating over 340 million tweets daily and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day. Since its launch, Twitter has become one of the ten most visited websites on the Internet, and has been described as “the SMS of the Internet.”

The presence of news organizations, politicians, and other industry-specific experts have turned Twitter into the ultimate source of information.

#13 Taobao.com – 207 Million Unique Visitors

Taobao.com is Chinese marketplace for clothing, accessories, jewelry, food, electronics, and more, similar to eBay and Amazon, operated by Alibaba Group. Founded by Alibaba Group in May 10, 2003, it facilitates consumer-to-consumer (C2C) retail by providing a platform for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs to open online retail stores that mainly cater to consumers in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

#12 Ask.com – 218.4 Million Unique Visitors

Ask is a question answering focused web search engine powered by Google. It founded in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California.

#11 Blogger.com – 229.9 Million Unique Visitors

Blogger.com is one of the earliest dedicated blog-publishing tools; it is credited for helping popularize the format. It allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. It was created by Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google in 2003. Generally, the blogs are hosted by Google at a sub domain of blogspot.com.

#10 MSN.com – 254.1 Million Unique Visitors

MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.

MSN was once a simple online service for Windows 95, an early experiment at interactive multimedia content on the Internet, and one of the most popular dial-up Internet service providers. Today, MSN is primarily a popular Internet portal.

#9 Baidu – 268.7 Million Unique Visitors

Baidu is a Chinese web Services Company headquartered in the Baidu Campus in Haidian District, Beijing. It offers many services, including a Chinese language search engine for websites, audio files, and images. Baidu also offers 57 search and community services including Baidu Baike, an online collaboratively built encyclopedia, and a searchable keyword-based discussion forum. Baidu was established in 2000 by Robin Li and Eric Xu.

Baidu is one of China’s most popular search engines. It employs thousands of China’s best engineers to continually update the quality and speed of its search engine.

#8 Microsoft.com – 271.7 Million Unique Visitors

Microsoft.com is destination for purchasing Microsoft products, and downloading MS software and updates. There are a lot of Microsoft Windows-powered computers out there, and most of them come with Microsoft.com bookmarked for customer support and lots of other functions, no wonder it’s on this list.

#7 QQ.com – 284.1 Million Unique Visitors

QQ.com is China-based search engine and portal. QQ is an abbreviation of Tencent QQ, which provides customers with a popular instant messaging software service. Due to popularity of the instant messaging software service, by 10 September 2012, there were 784 million active user accounts with approximately 100 million online at a time.

#6 Live.com – 389.5 Million Unique Visitors

Live.com is Microsoft’s new email service. It was a customizable portal launched by Microsoft in early November 2005 and it was one of the first Windows Live services to launch. Live.com lets users add RSS feeds in order to view news at a glance. Building off Microsoft’s Start.com experimental page, Live.com could be customized with Gadgets, mini-applications that could serve almost any purpose.

Some gadgets integrated with other Windows Live services, including Hotmail, Live Search, and Favorites.

#5 Wikipedia.org – 469.6 Million Unique Visitors

Wikipedia.org is simply the easy and best source of knowledge. It is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 24 million articles, over 4.1 million in the English Wikipedia, are written collaboratively by volunteers around the world.

As of February 2013, there are editions of Wikipedia in 285 languages. It has become the largest and most popular general reference work on the Internet, having an estimated 365 million readers worldwide.

#4 Yahoo.com – 469.9 Million Unique Visitors

Yahoo.com is a search engine and platform that connects to users to other Yahoo properties, such as Yahoo Finance and Flickr. Yahoo is one of the original Web portals from the 1990s; it offers news, sports, finance, and email.

#3 YouTube.com – 721.9 Million Unique Visitors

YouTube.com is the platform for uploading, sharing, and watching user-created videos. It was created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube was bought by Google for US$1.65 billion, and now operates as a subsidiary of Google, and the site got more popular.

#2 Google.com – 782.8 Million Unique Visitors

Google.com is web search engine, popularly known as ‘search giant’. Google entered a crowded search engine market in the late 1990s, but won because it was the fastest and had a clean design. It was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while both attended Stanford University.

#1 Facebook.com – 836.7 Million Unique Visitors

Facebook.com is the largest social networking site with over a billion registered users. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes.

7 Innocent Gestures That Can Get You Killed Overseas

 

If you’ve ever had your penis cut off and/or been executed while on holiday, you’ll probably know that it’s easy to offend people from other cultures. Unless you learn the ways of the place you’re visiting, even the most well-meaning tourist can regularly find his oesophagus stuffed with burning goat. But surely just plain common sense and good manners will save you, right?Wrong.

Extend Your Hand, Palm Outward in Greece

What you think you are saying:
“Phew! That was a heck of a moussaka. I’d eat another portion, but I’m completely stuffed.”

What you are actually saying:
“Phew! That was a heck of a moussaka. I’d eat another portion, but I’m too busy rubbing handfuls of shit in your face.”

What the hell?
In Greece, the “hand out” gesture is known as the moutza, and it dates back to the time of the Byzantine Empire, when criminals would be paraded through the streets on horseback, their faces blackened to indicate their shame. If they were lucky, the blackening agent would merely be charcoal. If they were unlucky, it would be a substance much, much worse …

SHIT, is what we’re saying here. Their faces would be covered in SHIT.

If you really want to piss a Greek person off, you can go for the double moutza, which features both hands splayed above your head. However, this will also make you look like a backup dancer from Cats, so it’s your call.

Give the Thumbs-Up In The Middle East

What you think you are saying:
“Ayyyyy! I’m the fuckin’ Fonz!”

What you are actually saying:
“Ayyyyy! I’m going to jam my thumb in your anus!”

What the hell?
It’s not just the Middle East. This seemingly universal gesture is also hideously offensive in West Africa and South America, whose citizens would doubtless get really confused if they ever watched Ebert and Roeper. “This movie is great, Bill! So great that I’d like to anally rape it with my thumb!”

The thumbs-up sign has been confusing people for thousands of years. Contrary to Hollywood legend, Roman gladiators were not spared by a thumbs-up, but by a hidden thumb. If the origins of both gestures are linked, we can only assume this meant, “Do not kill the prisoner, he seems the perfect solution to the emperor’s arthritic finger.”

Finish Your Meal In Thailand / The Philippines / China

What you think you are saying:
“This is a delicious meal. I mean it. I’m not the kind of guy who would lie about something like this. In fact, your meal was so fucking fabulous that I am going to finish every last morsel and then lick the plate so bright that it reveals the face of God.”

What you are actually saying:
“You call yourself a host? I came here for a meal, not some Lilliputian hors d’oeuvre that wouldn’t satisfy a mouse after a sizable brunch. Look at me. No, in the eyes. You disgust me.”

What the hell?
It is always important that the host provides you with tasty food. However, in countries where steak in bleu cheese sauce costs approximately the same as a lung transplant, it is more important that the host provides you with enough food.

In China, if you finish every last bite of your meal, you are implying that you weren’t given enough. Therefore, even if the meal is the most sexually delicious thing that has ever slid down your throat, you should still leave one last morsel on the plate to stare up at you mournfully while you eye it with ill-concealed resentment.

That said, the Orient isn’t as uptight as this example suggests. In China it’s considered perfectly good manners to talk with your mouth full and to burp after your meal. Farting seems to vary according to the situation and your current company, so ask ahead of time. Lighting the fart is frowned upon in almost all provinces.

Say “Hi” to a Member of the Opposite Sex in Saudi Arabia

What you think you are saying:
“Hi Steve! How’s things? Fancy getting a decaf latte?”

What you are actually saying:
“Hi, Steve! How’s things? Fancy booking a hotel room so that I can do immoral sex acts on you in the name of Satan?”

What the hell?
According to sharia religious laws, it is deeply immoral for a woman to greet a man in public, or associate with any man other than her husband without an escort. In February 2008, one American woman openly conversed with a man in Starbucks, and was promptly arrested, strip-searched and forced to sign false confessions.

Though, perhaps this is nitpicking considering women are not allowed to drive, vote, own shops, testify in court or ride bicycles there. Bizarrely, it’s perfectly fine for women to fly high-powered jet planes, although they’re clearly fucked if they feel like taking a bicycle to the airport.

The point being, if you’re a woman and are planning a move to Saudi Arabia, offending them with the whole public greeting thing is probably the least of your problems.

Give an Even Number of Flowers in Russia

What you think you are saying:
“Darling, this week has been the most wonderful of my life. Since I first felt the sweet joy of your caress, I have truly come to know what it is to love and to be loved. Please accept these half-dozen roses as a symbol of my eternal tender devotion.” (Lean forward for kiss.)

What you are actually saying:
DEATH! DEATH! DEEEEEEAAAAAAAATH!!!!!!

(Lean forward for kiss.)

What the hell?
In Russia, even numbers of flowers are only ever given at funerals, and such a gift is seen as inviting death, which you obviously don’t want to do unless you’re banging a goth chick.

Choosing the right gift seems to be a minefield of morbidity everywhere you go. Never give a clock to a Chinese person, as the word “clock” is almost identical to a word for “death.” Don’t wrap your present in white paper there either, as this suggests funerals. And for God’s sake, don’t give anyone in Bangladesh white flowers or they will presumably be obliged to buy a spade and bury themselves while muttering at you reproachfully.

You know what, screw giving a gift. You may come across as a selfish douchebag, but at least no one will hail you as the fourth horseman of the apocalypse.

Give a Gift With Your Left Hand, Pretty Much Anywhere

What you think you are saying:
“Thank you very much for letting me marry your daughter. She is very beautiful. In gratitude, please accept this dainty, yet tuneful instrument. Did I mention that I’m left-handed?”

What you are actually saying:
“Thank you very much for letting me marry your daughter. She is the most worthless heap of dog vomit I have ever encountered, and I dearly wish that she would die. In gratitude, please accept a generous portion of my own effluence. Did I mention that I hate you?”

What the hell?
Toilet paper may have been around in China since 589 AD, but for much of the world, it remains a prohibitively expensive luxury. In places such as India, Sri Lanka, Africa and the whole of the Middle East, doing anything with your left hand is seen as unclean, as it is (as least symbolically) your ass-wiping hand.

Eating out? Don’t even think about using your left hand. It’s better to come across as some kind of retarded monkey child than to imply that you rate your host’s food on the same level as a lightly-steamed assburger.

Of course, poop is not the only reason left-handedness is bad. According to the Qur’an, Satan himself was a southpaw, which is why he was able to successfully fool the right-handed batter that is mankind.

Give the “OK” Sign in Brazil

What you think you are saying:
“Hi Brazil, I’m US President Richard Nixon, and I’m feeling terrific!”

What you are actually saying:
“Hi Brazil, I’m US President Richard Nixon, and I’m feeling that you should all go fuck yourselves!”

(Note: The above examples are only valid if you are US President Richard Nixon)

What the hell?
In Brazil, the “OK” gesture is roughly equivalent to the finger in the US, which means you should not use it when your hotel manager asks you how your room is, unless you want to tell him that it’s purple and velvety and recently molested his wife.

The most famous incident of a misapplied “OK” sign was, in fact, Nixon’s visit to Brazil in the ’50s. While alighting from the aircraft, he lifted both hands to the cameras and double-fingered the entire nation. Nixon went on to greet the Brazilian Prime minister with a savage kick to the testicles, and concluded his visit by urinating from the window of a moving limousine.

If you’re visiting Brazil, you should also never touch any food with your fingers. Even stuff like pizzas and burgers should be eaten with a knife and fork. Not that you’ll ever need to apply this knowledge, because after reading this article, you’d be insane if you ever travel abroad again.

By: Tim Cameron

North Korea tells China of fresh nuclear tests

North Korea has told its key ally, China, that it is prepared to stage one or even two more nuclear tests this year in an effort to force the United States into diplomatic talks with Pyongyang, said a source with direct knowledge of the message.

Further tests could also be accompanied this year by another rocket launch, said the source who has direct access to the top levels of government in both Beijing and Pyongyang.

The isolated regime conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday, drawing global condemnation and a stern warning from the United States that it was a threat and a provocation.

“It’s all ready. A fourth and fifth nuclear test and a rocket launch could be conducted soon, possibly this year,” the source said, adding that the fourth nuclear test would be much larger than the third at an equivalent of 10 kilotons of TNT.

The tests will be undertaken, the source said, unless Washington holds talks with North Korea and abandons its policy of what Pyongyang sees as attempts at regime change.

North Korea also reiterated its long-standing desire for the United States to sign a final peace agreement with it and establish diplomatic relations, he said. The North remains technically at war with both the United States and South Korea after the Korean war ended in 1953 with a truce.

Initial estimates of this week’s test from South Korea’s military put its yield at the equivalent of 6-7 kilotons, although a final assessment of yield and what material was used in the explosion may be weeks away.

North Korea’s latest test, its third since 2006, prompted warnings from Washington and others that more sanctions would be imposed on the isolated state. The UN Security Council has only just tightened sanctions on Pyongyang after it launched a long-range rocket in December.

The North is banned under UN sanctions from developing missile or nuclear technology after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests.

North Korea worked to ready its nuclear test site, about 100 km from its border with China, throughout last year, according to commercially available satellite imagery. The images show that it may have already prepared for at least one more test, beyond Tuesday’s subterranean explosion.

“Based on satellite imagery that showed there were the same activities in two tunnels, they have one tunnel left after the latest test,” said Kune Y Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University in South Korea.

Analysis of satellite imagery released on Friday by specialist North Korea website 38North showed activity at a rocket site that appeared to indicate it was being prepared for an upcoming launch.

NORTH ‘NOT AFRAID’ OF SANCTIONS

President Barack Obama pledged after this week’s nuclear test “to lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats” and diplomats at the UN Security Council have already started discussing potential new sanctions.

The North has said the test this week was a reaction to what it said was “US hostility” following its December rocket launch. Critics say the rocket launch was aimed at developing technology for an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“(North) Korea is not afraid of (further) sanctions,” the source said. “It is confident agricultural and economic reforms will boost grain harvests this year, reducing its food reliance on China.”

North Korea’s isolated and small economy has few links with the outside world apart from China, its major trading partner and sole influential diplomatic ally.

China signed up for sanctions after the 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests and for a UN Security Council resolution passed in January to condemn the latest rocket launch. However, Beijing has stopped short of abandoning all support for Pyongyang.

Sanctions have so far not discouraged North Korea from pursuing its nuclear ambitions, analysts said.

“It is like watching the same movie over and over again,” said Lee Woo-young, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

“The idea that stronger sanctions make North Korea stop developing nuclear programmes isn’t effective in my view.”

The source with ties to Beijing and Pyongyang said China would again support UN sanctions. He declined to comment on what level of sanctions Beijing would be willing to endorse.

“When China supported UN sanctions … (North) Korea angrily called China a puppet of the United States,” he said. “There will be new sanctions which will be harsh. China is likely to agree to it,” he said, without elaborating.

He said however that Beijing would not cut food and fuel supplies to North Korea, a measure that it reportedly took after a previous nuclear test.

He said North Korea’s actions were a distraction for China’s leadership, which was concerned the escalations could inflame public opinion in China and hasten military build-ups in the region.

The source said that he saw little room for compromise under North Korea’s youthful new leader, Kim Jong-un. The third Kim to rule North Korea is just 30 years old and took over from his father in December 2011.

He appears to have followed his father, Kim Jong-il, in the “military first” strategy that has pushed North Korea ever closer to a workable nuclear missile at the expense of economic development.

“He is much tougher than his father,” the source said.

– Reuters

#China is still hacking the Wall Street Journal, claims Rupert #Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul whose newspaper empire includes the Wall Street Journal, posted on Twitter earlier today that his newspaper was still suffering at the hands of hackers.

Murdoch has waded into the developing news story about the high profile hacks, which were revealed to the world by the New York Times when it admitted that its servers had been infiltrated by hackers for four months, stealing employee passwords.

Murdoch’s seven word tweet claims that the hacks against his own companies are still going on.

In a column published on Sunday, entitled “Barbarians at the Digital Gate”, the Wall Street Journal shared some details of the attack against its systems, and didn’t beat around the bush regarding what it felt about the hackers:

"Specifically, the email accounts of under two dozen Journal editors, reporters and editorial writers have been hacked for months and maybe longer by the Chinese government. The hackers entered our systems and sought to monitor our China coverage. We identified the hacking last year and have taken steps to prevent it. The attack parallels similar Chinese infiltration of the New York Times, which believes the cyber-espionage originated with a Chinese military unit, as well as a hacking attempt last year against Bloomberg News."

"Whatever else the Chinese thought they were doing by hacking us, they didn't stop the publication of a single article. Now they have only magnified their embarrassment, as their intrusion was eventually bound to be detected and publicized. Perhaps they will now try to deny us travel visas, harass our journalists or otherwise interfere with our business in China."

"Meantime, we read that the FBI is investigating China's media hacking and treating it as a national security issue. It's also a plain-old crime, undertaken by a government that fancies itself the world's next superpower but acts like a giant thievery corporation."

Hard hitting stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Quite what Chinese hackers might have done to upset Rupert Murdoch over the weekend isn’t made clear, and – frustratingly – he doesn’t share any details as to how the Wall Street Journal has positively identified that the hackers are Chinese.

I think it’s very hard for anyone to prove that China was behind these hacks (although lets not be naïve, they probably were).

China has, of course, denied involvement. That’s easy for them to do, as the origin of a particular hack is very difficult to prove. Hackers can bounce their attacks from computer to computer, leapfrogging around the world, hiding their origin.

Even if an attack is tracked back to a Chinese computer – who is to say that it’s not been hijacked by a hacker in, say, El Salvador?

These are important considerations to take into account before pointing the finger of blame at particular countries for a hacking attack.

The complexities of attribution don’t make for easy media headlines, but are important for the general public to understand – especially when some countries appear to be gearing up for pre-emptive internet attacks against perceived aggressors.

Related articles

• Rupert Murdoch says Chinese hackers are still targeting Wall Street Journal (guardian.co.uk)

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie to adopt kid from China?

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have developed a sudden interest in China and have reportedly started taking Mandarin lessons.

The Hollywood couple, who have already adopted Cambodian, Ethiopian and Vietnamese children, and have biological kids Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne, have also enrolled their six kids for classes in the language, as well as, Jolie’s dad John Voight, so he can help with the homework, the Sun reported.

The family’s newfound interest could be a clue that the couple is ready to adopt another child, according to sources.

A source said that the couple want their children to be international and reckon China will soon be the most powerful country in the world and it’s also the world’s largest culture and one of the oldest.

The source also added that Jolie is broody and friends reckon the next child will be Chinese as they have become so obsessed with the country.

Pitt’s already on China’s version of Twitter and has had an interest in the Orient since his 1997 film Seven Years In Tibet.

Portion of global GDP contributed by river basins set to more than double by 2050.

  Economic output of the world’s ten most populous river basins will exceed that of the US, Japanese and German economies combined by 2050 – but only if water scarcity is addressed

Almost 8% of global GDP could be generated in China‘s Yangtze River basin by 2050,

but only if water shortages are dealt with.

Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images

The world‘s ten most populous river basins will account for almost a quarter of global GDP by 2050, according to research by Frontier Economics laid out in a new study commissioned by HSBC.

The portion of global economic output provided by these regions is projected to more than double between 2010 and 2050, with almost 8% of global GDP to be generated along China’s Yangtze River by mid-century.

In 2010 roughly one dollar in ten of global economic output came from one of the ten river basins shown below, but in 2050 this figure is predicted to be 24.7%.

Source: figures from HSBC and Frontier Economics

Publication of the report coincides with the launch of the HSBC Water Programme, a $100m, five year partnership with WWF, WaterAid and Earthwatch aimed at combatting water risks in river basins and raising awareness of broader global water issues.

The launch of the Water Programme is covered in greater detail on our environment blog here, including the following quote from Barbara Frost, CEO of WaterAid:

This partnership will result in 1.1 million people gaining access to safe water and 1.9 million to improved hygiene and sanitation in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria and Ghana.

Most of the rivers in question are located in emerging economies – the Nile in Egypt, the Ganges in India, the Niger in West Africa – and such surges in economic activity could lift millions out of poverty, but these projections will only be realised if management of these regions’ water supplies is improved significantly.

An OECD model of water usage in 2050 shows that the largest increases in consumption are expected to come among the ‘BRIICS’ group of nations – Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China and South Africa.

Total water consumption across BRIICS nations is projected to increase by 78% between 2000 and 2050, from 1,827 to 3,263 cubic kilometres, whereas the corresponding global figure will rise by a more modest 53%.

According to the UN’s latest World Water Development Report, water supplies in several of the ten basins featuring in the Frontier Economics report are being over-exploited. The map below shows water scarcity across the globe, with the darkest regions representing areas where water use exceeds minimum recharge levels.

Global patterns of water exploitation, coloured according to water stress indicator (WSI). Click for larger image. Illustration: United Nations Environment Programme

The Frontier Economics study shows that water use in seven of the ten river basins will be at unsustainable levels (30% or more of natural run-off being consumed) by 2050 if resource management does not improve.

Global distribution of different indicators of water scarcity. Click for larger image including description of categories. Illustration: UNESCO

Also included in the report are calculation of the benefits that would arise from meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) targets for water, and from going one step further to achieve universal access to water.

Several Latin American and Central African countries could see annual GDP increases of 5% or more if MDG targets are met, with the economic boost rising to as much as 15% with universal access.

Even China, already a major economic power, could see an annual increase in GDP of almost 1% if its entire population had access to clean water and sanitation.

Source: figures from HSBC and Frontier Economics

According to Frontier Economics’ calculations, the investments required to achieve such levels of water access could be paid off in as few as fifteen months.

A cost-benefit analysis of implementing the changes required to achieve these targets shows projected returns ratios vary considerable by region.

Assuming a 35 year lifetime for the impacts of initial investments, every dollar spent on achieving universal access in Sub-Saharan Africa would yield $2.50, compared to a return of over $16 per dollar spent on equivalent work in Latin America.

Data summary

Economic output from top ten river basins

River	Population in 2010 (millions)	Population in 2010 (% of global)	Basin GDP in 2010 (US$bn)	Basin GDP in 2010 (% of global)	Basin GDP in 2050 (US$bn)	Basin GDP in 2050 (% of global)
Source: Frontier Economics, HSBC
Ganges	528	0.08	690	0.01	5776	0.03
Yangtze (Chang Jiang)	407	0.06	1796	0.03	14810	0.08
Indus	254	0.04	281	0	1522	0.01
Nile	207	0.03	304	0	3035	0.02
Huang He (Yellow River)	170	0.02	751	0.01	6187	0.03
Huai He	103	0.02	457	0.01	3766	0.02
Niger	100	0.01	105	0	753	0
Hai	96	0.01	426	0.01	3511	0.02
Krishna	89	0.01	126	0	1052	0.01
Danube	81	0.01	1305	0.02	6432	0.03
Total	2036	0.3	6240	0.1	46844	0.25

 

Download the data

• DATA: download the full spreadsheet

Ten Countries with Highest Illicit Financial Flows

Currencies are the most important medium of exchange. Any nation’s growth depends on the value of their currency.
But in recent times, it is found that more than the growth of the nation, people are concentrated on their own growth. This is the reason why many countries are not able to develop and the common population is still striving for food.
As recorded by Global Finance Integrity for the period of 2001-2010, here is the list of the 10 countries with maximum flow of unlawful money as reported by Yahoo.

1. China
Amount: $ 2.74 trillion

The most populated country in the world which has one of the wonders of the world, ‘The Great Wall’.  China is also known for their technology, martial arts and the second largest country by land area. China’s fame is an unending list.
This nation also tops the list of unlawful money. Between the years 2001-2010, this nation’s unlawful outflow was estimated to be $ 2.74 trillion.

2. Mexico
Amount: $ 476 billion

The name ‘Mexico’ itself is enough to reflect colorful-decorated flavored cuisines, chocolates, music, mariachis and many more. It is the world’s eleventh most populated country in the world.
In tourism based income, Mexico holds the twenty third rank in the world. Well, Mexico is also popular for its crime rates. Drug trafficking and other narcotic related problems are the major issues in Mexico.

This is not the end for Mexico. With a possession of $ 476 billion, Global Financial Integrity has ranked Mexico as the successor of China in the list of illicit money.

3. Malaysia
Amount: $450  billion

Malaysia is one of the Asian countries with the best infrastructure. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories.
From 1957 to 2005, Malaysia had one of the best economic records in Asia. In 2011 the Gross Domestic Product of Malaysia was about $450  billion, the 3rd largest economy in ASEAN and 29th largest in the world.
Malaysia is also growing at a higher rate as an eco-tourist spot. It’s multi-ethnic culture and the natural beauties attracts most of the tourists.
This country has been awarded with the third rank in this list.

4. Saudi Arabia
Amount: $ 210 billion

The home to the most inherited sites for the Muslims, Saudi Arabia inherited wealth in the form of oils. It is the second largest oil reservoir in the entire world. Saudi Arabia also has a huge amount of gold mines.
Saudi Arabia has a per capita income of $24,200 (2010).
The outflow of Saudi Arabia’s black money is estimated to be $ 210 billion and the Global Financial Integrity has ranked them as number four in this list.

5. Russia
Amount: $ 153 billion

Russia has been a pioneer nation in the world of science. The world’s first human spaceflight was launched by Russia.
Russia is the world’s largest reserves of mineral and energy resources. It is the global leader in producing oil and natural gas.With time, Russia was able to maintain their image as a ‘Super Power’ nation. It is said that Russia has the largest stock pile of weapons of mass destruction.
With so many glories, Russia has been placed on the fifth rank among the nations having an impactful outflow of illegal money. It is ranked fifth in this list with an estimated amount of $ 153 billion.

6. Philippines
Amount: $ 138 billion

Philippines is naturally gifted with natural recourses. Its rainforests serves as the home to many diverse range of plants, birds, animals and sea creatures. The geographical location of this country has made it prone to earthquakes and typhoons.
It is one the primary exporter of electronic products and semiconductors, garments, petroleum products, fruits, transport equipments, copper products, etc.
Starting form 2001 till 2010, the amount of illegal money flow if Philippines was estimated as $ 138 billion.

7. Nigeria
Amount: $ 129 billion

Nigeria got its name from the ‘Niger’ river and obtained freedom in 1960. Today, Nigeria is the largest trading partner of the U.S.
The Citigroup estimated that Nigeria will get the highest average GDP growth during the period 2010-2050.
Crimes in Nigeria are mostly focused on drug trafficking, illegal export of heroin from Asia to Europe.
With an outflow of $ 129 billion, Nigeria stands in the seventh place in this list.

8. India
Amount: $ 123 billion

India is the largest democracy in the world and the second most populated nation.
With all the natural recourses, India has become on the fastest growing economy in the world. India is the home some of the global leaders like RIL, Tata, Wipro, Infosys, etc.
Talking about India, its colorful tradition and culture has been attracting tourists from each and every corner of the globe.
According to the recent study by the Global Financial Integrity, India had an illegal outflow of $ 123 billion and is ranked eighth.

9. Indonesia
Amount: $ 109 billion

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country. In terms of GDP, Indonesian economy is the sixteenth largest in the world.
The gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated about $1 trillion and the debt ratio to the GDP is 26%.  And the country’s major export commodities include oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, rubber, and textiles.
Indonesia has an illicit outflow of $ 109 billion and is placed in the ninth position worldwide.

10. United Arab Emirates
Amount: $ 107 billion

UAE is one of the largest producers of oil and natural gases. Before oil was discovered, the UAE economy was dependant on fishing.UAE is one of the most favorite holiday spot across the globe and in terms of tourism revenue, UAE tops the chart.UAE is also the home to some mega structures like the ‘Burj Dubai’, ‘Palm Islands’, ‘World Island’ and the ‘Burj-al Arab’.UAE scored the tenth rank in this list with an outflow of $ 107 billion between 2001-2010.