Brazilian economy 'overtakes Britain'

Brazil has overtaken Britain as the world's sixth largest economy, a London-based research group said Monday.

Brazil has overtaken Britain as the world's sixth largest economy, a London-based research group said Monday.

In its latest World Economic League Table, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said Asian countries were moving up while European countries were slipping down. CEBR chief executive Douglas McWilliams told BBC radio that Brazil's advance was part of a wider trend.
"I think it's part of the big economic change, where not only are we seeing a shift from the west to the east, but we're also seeing that countries that produce vital commodities -- food and energy and things like that -- are doing very well and they're gradually climbing up the economic league table," he said.
Brazil's population of about 200 million is more than three times that of Britain.
The Brazilian economy grew 7.5 percent in 2010, but the government has cut its growth projections to 3.5 percent for this year after the economy slowed in the third quarter.
The CEBR also predicted that the British economy would overtake France -- ranked fifth this year -- by 2016 and it said India, the world's 10th biggest economy in 2011,

Climate response lacks resources

Insufficient human resources was a major challenge for Vietnam in responding to climate change, said head of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's Personnel and Organisation Department Ta Dinh Thi.
Thi said that although Vietnam launched its first National Target Programme to respond to climate change in 2008, the biggest difficulty in its implementation lied in a shortage of staff specialising in the climate change-related sector at all levels.
Most staff working in the sector had been trained in other fields and were assigned to do other tasks at the same time.
At present, there are nearly 50,000 people working in administrative and research institutions belonging to the natural resources and environment sector, but more than half of them work in the land management sub-sector, with only 1 per cent focused on tackling climate change.
"Preparing human resources in the climate change sector is an urgent task, especially at local levels," said the deputy director of Vietnam's Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, Tran Hong Thai.
On average, each province needed at least 10 trained personnel, he said, adding that there was an absence of people who specialised in climate change management at the provincial level.
Thai said that roughly 700 districts and 9,000 communes also required staff that specialised in climate change.
He said that it took about 15 years to train an expert in climate change, including conducting research and accumulating experience. Meanwhile, developing human resources was a basic foundation to implementing tasks

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on holiday in Vietnam

>>  Facebook boss visits Vietnam

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the world’s number one social network, Facebook, has been in Vietnam since December 22 for his holiday.

 

Zuckerberg and his girlfriend in Ha Long

After arriving in Hanoi at 11am on December 22, Zuckerberg and his friends, including his girlfriend, Priscilla Chan, visited Hoa Lo, a historical site in the capital city.
Tran Ngoc Bich, the tour guide for a US group in Hoa Lo, said, “He seemed easy going and casual, just wearing a T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He was very friendly.”
At 3pm on December 23, Zuckerberg and his friends went to a Vertu mobile showroom on Ngo Quyen

Long Bien Bridge: past and present

Lively images of the historic Long Bien Bridge, dating from past to present, have been put on display at an on-going exhibition near Hoan Kiem Lake.

Tranquil: Cau Long Bien Mot Thoi Binh Yen (Long Bien Bridge in Peace), oil on canvas by Pham Kim Binh.

Abstract: Song Song Hong (The Hong River Waves) by Nguyen Thu Thuy.

Through 169 watercolours, oil paintings, pastel drawings, lacquer and wood carvings and sculptures, the city's young and senior artists have depicted the 100-year-old bridge, particularly through wartime. Their works tell of heroic deeds carried out in the struggle against foreign invaders alongside tales of daily life, as connected to the bridge that spans the Hong (Red) River. Mat Dat Bau Troi Thang Chap (The Earth and Sky in December), a large-scale oil painting by Nguyen The Huu, depicts the bridge with American aircraft gliding in the sky and soldiers keeping their adversaries on the back foot.
Artist Trinh Quoc Thu uses the image of a dragon hovering in the sky, breathing fire on the enemy warplanes to protect the bridge and people on the ground through his oil-on-canvas Cau Long Bien –
Cay Cau Chung Nhan Lich Su (Long Bien Bridge – Historical Witness). Truong Trung also symbolises the bridge with an image of a flying dragon, holding a fire ball in its mouth with his Vuot Song Song Hong (Crossing the Red River Waves) on acrylic.
The bridge is presented mostly in hot colours such as red brown, yellow, orange and deep blue to describe a life full of energy of not only the bridge itself, but also of the people by its river banks.
Images of a peaceful life appear through one painting after another, illustrating a banana market, farming in rice fields, fishing boats in the early morning, traffic, a parade of cyclos involved in an engagement party and images of children with kites.
"Through these paintings, I got to understand a little more about the history of the bridge," said a 10th grader from the Ly Thuong Kiet High School while viewing Song Song Hong (The Hong River Waves) by painter-journalist Nguyen Thu Thuy.
Creator of the Hanoi mosaic mural, Thuy utilised tiny, square ceramic pieces of red brown, orange and turquoise on a base of lacquer to give her work life.

Powerful quake rocks New Zealand's Christchurch

The earthquake-devastated New Zealand city of Christchurch was rocked by a powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor Friday forcing evacuations from buildings, residents said.

Earthquake damage to Christchurch Cathedral in the New Zealand South Island city is seen in September 2011.

New Zealand's second largest city was hit by a 6.3-magnitude quake in February, killing 181 people and destroying much of the downtown area.
Government seismologists measured the latest quake at magnitude 5.8 and said it struck at 1:58pm (0058 GMT) eight kilometres (five miles) deep.

Local news media reported people fleeing into the streets in fear as the quake, followed by four strong aftershocks, rattled the city.

Shopping malls were vacated and Television New Zealand said the international airport was shut down.

Telephone services and electricity supplies were disrupted but police said there were no immediate reports of structural damage.

Christchurch resident Jo Davis told Fairfax News her neighbours were screaming.

"I was terrified, I guess just because it's been so long since we've had a decent one. We've had a TV and glasses fall over

North Korea 'building' new missile launch site

Satellite images appear to reveal a 100ft launch tower meaning Pyongyang is close to completing a new launch site

A missile on the launchpad at Musudan-ri, North Korea's older missile launch site Photograph: AP

North Korea appears close to finishing a new missile launch site, according to analysis of satellite images taken in the last month, which show an almost completed 100ft tall launch tower, suggesting a step forward

A minibus catches fire in Hanoi

>>  Motorbike fires stir up public concern
 >>  Producers to review safety after motorbikes catch fire

A small bus caught fire while driving along a road in Dai Nghia Town, My Duc District, Hanoi, on December 18.

The bus on fire

The driver and passengers escaped from the 29 seat minibus without injury. The vehicle was destroyed, leaving only the steel frame. 
A representative from Ha Tay Coach Joint Stock Company said, the bus was being driven by Nguyen Ha Thanh, and had been in operation since 2007.

North Korea leader lies in state

 

Mourners including Kim Jong-il's son and heir, Kim Jong-un, paid their respects

Continue reading the main story

Kim Jong-il dead

Kim Jong-il's son and heir, Kim Jong-un, and senior officials have been paying their last respects to the late North Korean leader whose body lies in state ahead of his funeral next week.

Shanghai’s top five museums

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

In Shanghai Cultural Activities

Head to Shanghai’s Propaganda Poster Art Centre to see mass-produced posters from the 1950s and ’60s. (Richard I'Anson/LPI)

A time-lapse movie of the Shanghai skyline would be a fascinating study in urban development, but how do you come to grips with a city that swaps faces faster than a Sichuanese opera performer? Head to these five museums to help gain a foothold in a place where the only constant is constant change.

Barcelona beat Santos to win Club World Cup 

Last updated: 12/19/2011 8:00 

FC Barcelona players and staff members toss their head coach Pep Guardiola as they celebrate their victory against Santos FC during the awarding ceremony after the final football match in the Club World Cup in Yokohama. Barcelona defeated Santos 4-0

Lionel Messi grabbed a classy brace as the “artists” of Barcelona out-classed the Brazilians Santos 4-0 to lift the Club World Cup Sunday and confirm their status as the best team on the planet.

The clash between the European and South American champions in Japan had been billed as a showdown between

Exclusive: Secret US, Taliban talks reach turning 

Last updated: 12/19/2011 10:00 

After 10 months of secret dialogue with Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents, senior US officials say the talks have reached a critical juncture and they will soon know whether a breakthrough is possible, leading to peace talks whose ultimate goal is to end the Afghan war.

As part of the accelerating, high-stakes diplomacy, Reuters has learned, the United States is considering the transfer

This time Mercedes car catches fire on street in VietNam

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Updated : Sun, December 18, 2011,9:06 PM (GMT+0700)

The remains of a Mercedes sedan after it suddenly caught fire Sunday afternoon.

A Mercedes E300 sedan suddenly started burning and was then completely destroyed Sunday afternoon when it was carrying four people on Nguyen Xien Street in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi.
Ngo Van Nam, one of the four, told local newswire VnExpress that they had noticed a burning smell shortly before seeing smoke rise from the front.
They immediately got out of the vehicle which was engulfed in flames 15 minutes later, Nam said.
The four-wheel drive had become a sheer mass of metal, with its front and rear windshields entirely broken, when fire-fighters were called in.
“This is a second-hand car I bought from an acquaintance in 2006, but it had been registered 5 years earlier,” Ngo Van Ninh, the owner, revealed.

Ellen moves into Brad Pitt's house

Britney Spears sued by former minders

Pitt's palace: TV host Ellen DeGeneres, right, and Portia de Rossi have bought Brad Pitt's sprawling Malibu property for US$12 million. Picture: AP.

Michael Jackson's home treasures go under the hammer

ALSO

• Britney Spears sued by former minders

Collectors from around the world attended the auction in Beverly Hills. Picture: The Daily Telegraph Source: AFP

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Mekong Delta’s farmers prepare unique fruits for Tet

Farmers in the Mekong Delta have created many special products for the lunar New Year (Tet holiday), such as wine-gourds and gold-bar shaped pomelos and squared watermelons.

Vietnam beauty third at Mrs World 2011

• Thu Huong, 32, crowned third place title at the Mrs World 2011 beauty pageant that wrapped up today in US. April Lufriu of the US won the title, followed by a Peru beauty.

Thu Huong and her husband at the beauty contest Mrs World 2011 in the US. Photo by Dan Tri/Dtinews

Ancient temple unearthed in central Vietnam

After many days of excavation, an old temple buried in sand in Ky Khang commune, Ky Anh district in the central province of Ha Tinh has been unveiled. Many pottery items are also excavated.

The temple is located on Con Choi sand bank, in the titan mining ground of Ky Anh Titan Mining Enterprise. Part of the work was unearthed at the depth of 5 meters on November 2, by mining workers.

The Museum of Ha Tinh Province has excavated the site since then. Archaeologists have collected

440 dead, 200 missing in Philippines storm

• | AFP | December 18, 2011 09:12 AM

• 
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More than 600 people were feared killed on Saturday when tropical storm Washi whipped the southern Philippines, unleashing mammoth floods across vast areas of the country.

Relief workers said that 440 people had died and nearly 200 left missing after the storm wreaked

The Luoyang gorge river water turns the blood red to ...

The Luoyang gorge river water turns the blood red to ...

Reporter gathers the river water sample under the Chinese mountain road gorge river bridge


“gorge river Huashan road section blood red blood red, is how a matter?”

“the gorge river has a good time together stronghold section glowing red one piece, what matter had?”

“gorge river Qili River Duan Zhengtiao the river resembles `the red river valley ' to be the same, probably had any problem.”

Data storm: Making government data pay

By Michael Cross Technology reporter

Data storm: EU governments may have to open their archives - which could include weather information - to business

Here's the good news: Europe's fiscally squeezed governments are sitting on assets that could be worth 40bn euros ($52bn, £33.6bn) a year.

The bad news is that, to realise those assets' full potential, governments have to give them away.

Continue reading the main story

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• Down on the iFarm
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Photo collection of Natsumi Hayashi 

 

5 Most Important Events of 2011

December 7, 2011 People

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Bin Laden’s Death

On May 2, world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden was killed in a military operation by US special forces in Pakistan. Bin Laden was on the American FBI list of Most Wanted Terrorists for his involvement in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings and 9/11 attacks on world trade center, bin Laden was a major target of the War on Terror, with a $25 million bounty by the FBI.

Things We're Looking Forward To in 2012: 'Mad Men' Is Back! (And So Then Is Christina Hendricks)

2011 was a big year for Christina Hendricks, who apparently likes her Johnnie Walker on the rocks, as she showed at her annual holiday party on December 10, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Hendricks was nominated for a supporting actress Emmy for her work in Mad Men in 2010, had her first starring role in a major motion picture with Drive, graced a half dozen magazine covers, and generally made red carpets around the world better places to be.

Read more: http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/12/15/things-were-looking-forward-to-in-2012-mad-men-is-back-and-so-then-is-christina-hendricks/#ixzz1gnL8CRJO

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Oprah, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift... and me

What do we all have in common? We were all born in the Year of the Snake, and according to Vietnamese belief, we\'re all likely to be unlucky.
------------------------
Starting a family is no small feat, but I didn’t know just how tricky it could be until I moved to Vietnam.
One morning soon after my arrival, I was having breakfast with my friend Phuong and our conversation turned to children. Phuong confessed that she wanted to have a baby soon, but she was conflicted because the Vietnamese zodiac was about to spin around to the Year of the Snake. She raised her eyebrows and looked at me pointedly, inviting me to share in the significance of this revelation...but I simply returned her gaze with a smile.
“I’m the Year of the Snake,” I said playfully, “so what’s wrong with me?”

Love on thin ice

It’s three years ago, or thereabouts. I’m asleep in my bed in my apartment at the end of Ly Van Phuc Street - the tiny road famous for late night chicken.

It’s the middle of the night and my phone rings. I answer and immediately recognize the voice - it’s my girlfriend, calling from halfway around the world.

“Do you know what time it is here?” I ask.

“Yes.” A long pause; I can hear she’s crying but doesn’t want me to know it. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

The rest of the conversation you can imagine. But at the end, a muffled, “When are you coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

Entire Lindsay Lohan Playboy Photo Spread Leaked Online

By: Dj Digital  |  1 week ago

The Insider

Whoops! I guess this is what $1 million gets you. When we got the news that actress turned troublesome

Motorbike fires stir up public concern

• | Thanh Nien, dtinews | December 17, 2011 08:20 AM

 >>  Producers to review safety after motorbikes catch fire

A number of motorbikes in Hanoi and other areas have caught fire recently for no apparent cause, causing worry among consumers. 

Motobike  fire on Chuong Duong Bridge

According to the Hanoi Fire Prevention Department, between December 1, 2010, and November 30 this year, there were 40 incidents of vehicle fires in Hanoi, including 11 motorbikes. In seven of these cases, motorbike owners simply left the site, leaving people and fire department to deal with the situation.

Young Vietnamese embrace Christmas

Young Vietnamese embrace Christmas

 >>  Giant Christmas pine tree made by used cell phones
 >>  Christmas decorations on the rise
 >>  Travel companies offer enticing packages for Christmas, New Year

Many streets in Hanoi have become crowded with young people who come to buy Christmas nicknacks and decorations.  The streets of Hang Ma and Luong Van Can are full of seasonal colours, bringing an early holiday atmosphere in the capital city. Many use the opportunity to take photos. 
Products for Christmas decorations this year are very diverse: red Christmas trees and gift baskets made of dry coconut shells.
On Hang Ma Street, many households have started makeshift production areas for spongy snowmen and decorative scrolls. 
Some photos of early Noel atmosphere in Hanoi:

Taking a photo

US forces mark end of Iraq mission

US forces mark end of Iraq mission

• | AFP | December 16, 2011 09:25 AM

US forces formally marked the end of their mission in Iraq with a low-key ceremony near Baghdad on Thursday, after nearly nine years of divisive war that began with the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein.

US soldiers hold the US and Iraqi flags during a symbolic flag-lowering ceremony marking the end of the US mission in Iraq at a military base West of Baghdad, after nearly nine years of divisive war that began with the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein.

The "casing of the colours" near the airport, the first site the US occupied in Baghdad in 2003, comes with around 4,000 US soldiers still in Iraq, all of whom will depart in the coming days. After that, all that will remain are 157 soldiers under the authority of the American embassy in Iraq, a country where there were once nearly 170,000 troops on more than 500 bases.
The withdrawal ends a war that left tens of thousands of Iraqis and nearly 4,500 American soldiers dead, many more wounded, and 1.75 million Iraqis displaced, after the US-led invasion unleashed brutal sectarian fighting.
"After a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern itself has become real," US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said at the symbolic flag-lowering ceremony.
"Iraq will be tested in the days ahead -- by terrorism and by those who would seek to divide it, by economic and social issues, by the demands of democracy itself," Panetta said.
But the US "will stand by the Iraqi people as they navigate those challenges".
"This is a time for Iraq to look forward. This is an opportunity for Iraq to forge ahead on a path to security and

Pull the other one! Chinese actress bares her bra in Beijing when awards show host 'accidentally' stands on her dress

Chinese actress Sun Feifei has discovered what the TOWIE girls realised months ago... to receive international recognition, all you need to do is flash a bit of cleavage.
Sadly for the TV star, though, her revelation came as a result of an embarrassing red carpet wardrobe malfunction.
Sun was looking stunning in a floor-length white gown as she posed for photographs on the way into the Esquire Awards in Beijing.

Wardrobe malfunction: Sun Feifei bares a little too much after Fang Ling (right) has stepped on the sash of her dress - but why are her arms spread out rather than trying to cover her cleavage?

But as she turned to enter the building, the evening's host, Fang Ling 'inadvertently' pulled the actress' dress down by standing on the front sash.
Fortunately, Sun was wearing a skin-coloured strapless gown under her dress, and an aide quickly leapt into action hiding Sun's embarrassment behind a large grey blanket.

More...

• A MAN modelling women's lingerie? Andrej Pejic proves a push-up bra can create serious cleavage... even for the truly flat-chested
• Happy to be a flatty: They endure years of sniggers - from both sexes. But women with small busts have the last laugh when others hit the floppy forties, says SUZANNE TAYLOR

Before you feel too sorry for Sun though, it is worth taking a closer look at the photographs.
Local English language website, Shanghaiist.com, questions the authenticity of the malfunction.

Calm before the storm: Sun looks down at her gown as it starts to slip

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2073955/Chinese-actress-Sun-Feifei-bares-bra-Fang-Ling-accidentally-stands-dress.html#ixzz1giHOZdxs

Disaster strikes: Sun's dress begins to slip down as Fang stands on the front sash

They write: 'The comedic splaying of Sun's arms and her poorly conveyed mock-surprise, along with the exaggerated look of oops on Fang's face, give us the impression that the whole thing was a planned publicity stunt.'

Besides, this is just the latest in a series of Chinese actresses gaining attention for their chests rather than their acting skills.

Last week, Liu Yuxin set the bar pretty high in a very, very push-up bra which exposed just a touch too much.

Frocky horror show: Sun looks surprised (left) but was the wardrobe malfunction a publicity stunt inspired by Liu Yuxin's revealing dress (left) last week?

TV host Liu Wan also tends to make revealing sartorial choices.
Then again, standing on the bottom of an actress' skirt on the red carpet is more common than you would think. George Clooney, Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt have all put a step wrong too.
Maybe Fang did just make an innocent mistake after all.

It's easily done: Harrison Ford steps on a surprised Rachel McAdam's dress at the Berlin premiere of their film, Morning Glory

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2073955/Chinese-actress-Sun-Feifei-bares-bra-Fang-Ling-accidentally-stands-dress.html#ixzz1giGtnIIG