This is our World

Spanish police seize 42-piece dinner set made out of cocaine

2009-03-25T00:31:00.001-07:00

Barcelona:Last week, the Spanish police detained a man who received a parcel in the mail from Venezuela containing a dinner set that was made with 20 kg of cocaine.

The 35-year-old was arrested as he received the package containing the 42-piece dinner set made up of cups, plates and bowls painted blue and decorated with sunflowers at his home in Barcelona.

Police suspect the man had been recruited by a Venezuelan drug trafficking gang to receive the package, which he was supposed to hand over to members of the group who would then extract the cocaine from the dinner set.

Barcelona is the main entry point for the drug into Europe and Spain has the second-highest level of cocaine consumption in Europe after Britain.

Murder Capital's Of The World (where Crime Thrives)

2008-11-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

1. India: Nithari murders & 32,000 others

Number of people murdered: 32,719

India recorded the highest number of murders in 2006 and the trend shows no signs of receding. Recent months have seen the magnifying glass being focused on crimes of passion, but the problem is bigger than that. From rising inequalities in both rural and urban areas to caste and communal reasons, crime in India is totally different from crime in the rest of the world.

If guns, drugs and organised crime are behind the high murder rates in most parts of the world, pegging it to any one reason in India is next to impossible.

In the latest crime survey, the spotlight is turned to mega cities, which account for a huge chunk of violent crime. Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore account for more than 33 per cent of crime in 35 major cities of India. With dowry deaths and honour killings also on the rise, there is no single antidote for curbing murder in India.

2. Brazil: It's not just about the guns

Number of people murdered in 2005: 55,000

If India topped the murder statistics in 2006, it is only because figures for Brazil were not available. But figures for the previous year and reports of murders rising further mean there is no way India can dislodge Brazil from its deadly perch.

While 3 people per 1,00,000 are killed every year in India, Brazil's murder rate is 10 times more than that of India and translates to roughly six persons being killed every hour. In terms of civilian casualties, this is second only to Iraq, a war zone. This nation of close to 200 million people is a prime example of how class-divide fuels crime. The country is littered with urban slums, which even the law enforcement agencies refuse to enter.

But the government says crime has been in the decline since states began an initiative to take back guns from the streets. It claims that the programme is a success with citizens in places like Rio de Janeiro, whose urban slums have the highest crime rates in Brazil, taking the initiative to return weapons by the thousands.

But it is not just about the guns. Total lack of faith in the police among people means taking law into your own hands is the only recourse. While most murders get reported due to the nature of the crime, disturbing surveys have also shown that only 25 per cent of all robberies and 15 percent of all rapes are reported nationwide.

3. Russia: A contract to kill

Number of people murdered: 28,904

Major socio-economic changes in the recent decades have fueled Russian crime rates, which have more than doubled between the 1990s and 2000s.
This followed the first spike when Russia was in the cusp of transition to a market economy after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Criminologists also attribute the rise to social problems like rising alcoholism, drug addiction and the strains caused by economic difficulties.

Though Moscow is comparatively devoid of street crime along the lines of Latin American and US cities, it still is the murder capital of Europe, with a murder rate of 15.

The two recent problems are racial crime against Africans and Asians and contract killings.

These contract killings -- a 2006 study showed there were five every month -- are attributed to the reason that more businessmen and officials are saying no to corruption. Another unsubstantiated theory is the link between rising violence and the recent controversial struggle for political power, which saw Vladimir Putin step down as president and become prime minister. Those who subscribe to this theory point to the last transfer of power in 2000, which was also preceded by violence.

4. Colombia: 'Crazy Colombia' has hope

Number of people murdered: 26,539

This is a country where a footballer was shot dead for scoring an own-goal. World crime statisticians use two parameters: number of murders and murder rate. There was only one constant in both the lists: Colombia, rightly dubbed Locombia (Crazy Colombia).

Though the drug cartel and civil war-ravaged country has the highest murder rate in the world, there has been good news.

Murder rates have been falling and the government has had some success with tackling urban crime. A look at some of the things that Colombia did right and which other countries can look up to.

It increased the police force by almost 20 per cent. This force in turn increased its network of informants manifold. The initial success spurred the people on to cooperate better with the law enforcement officials who they slowly began to trust.

The Colombians did it so well that El Salvador and Rio are following them step-by-step.

Though it is a long way from becoming a paradise, a single piece of statistic shows that the Colombians are on the right track. In 1993, the city of Bogota witnessed 4,500 murders, at a rate of 80/100000.

In 2006, the murders were down to just over a thousand, indicating a 75 per cent drop in murder rate.

5. South Africa: Calling the State's bluff

Number of people murdered: 21,995

This ranking is sort of a climb-down for South Africa, which had the highest murder rate in the world at 59/10000 in 1998, one of the last years that the Interpol made public its crime statistics.

Though the government claims that murder rates are on the decline, experts are not swayed. One study asked of South Africa, dubbed the murder capital of the world: Incidents of rape have increased, car jacking is at an unprecedented high. Attempted murder rates are on the rise. And the government wants the world to believe that the murder rates are going down?

Recently the government has had a widely-publicised gun amnesty programme to reduce the number of weapons in circulation. In addition, it adopted the National Crime Prevention Strategy in 1996, which aimed to prevent crime through reinforcing community structures and helping individuals back into work.

But the people of South Africa are not ready to buy the government claim. Many high and middle income families hire armed private security guards to do the basic job expected of any government: protect them.

Another most visible sign that the people are really worried is the increasing number of gated communities.

These usually comprise a group of suburban street blocks whose road exits have been fenced off with the exception of one or more entrances that are monitored by guards. Of course employed by private security companies.

6. Mexico: From Military to Militia

Number of people murdered: 13,829

When the State sends in the military to tackle drug cartels and organised crime syndicates, one can understand the seriousness of the problem.

Some 30,000 soldiers and federal police have now been deployed to a dozen states throughout Mexico as part of President Filipe Calderon's war on drug cartels and organised crime.

Though the military made strong gains since Calderon took over in 2006, seizing record amounts of cocaine and extraditing 73 suspected drug traffickers to the United States for trial in 2007, the drug cartels are ready to play the waiting game -- ducking when the military has the upper hand and resurfacing when the military turns its attention elsewhere.

Not only that, when they resurface, they do so with renewed firepower and the local police is left to face the wrath. Thus, morale is on a downward spiral among cops, thanks to the military action.

In the two years since they began fighting crime, soldiers too have lost the will to fight: in 2007, more than 18,000 soldiers deserted. And worse, most of them join the scum they started out to weed, joining the drug cartels as 'zetas' (guns for hire)!

7. US: Argumentative Americans

Number of people murdered: 12,658

In a survey of 20 American and European cities, all the nine American cities polled placed within the top 12, leaving the European cities far behind.

Capital Washington, DC, topped the poll with a murder rate of almost 70 people per 100,000, more than thrice the second-placed Philadelphia.

The high incidence of violent crimes is attributed to the fact that criminals in America are more likely to have firearms. A state department document cited argument -- including about money and property under the influence of alcohol or narcotics -- as the most common reason for murders. One-third of all recent murders were triggered by arguments. Criminal activities like rape, theft, and narcotics accounted for a fifth of murders and gang killings accounted for one-twentieth.

But crime rates has fluctuated considerably over the course of the last 50 years, rising significantly in the late 1960s and 1970s, peaking in the 1980s and then decreasing considerably in the 1990s. Over the past 30 years, the crime rate rose throughout the 1980s, reached its peak in 1991 and then began to decrease throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

But in the 2000s, crime and murder rates have stagnated with no visible signs of a further drastic dip.

8. Venezuela: Of cheap crime & corruption

Number of people murdered: 8,022

When people take to the streets in protest against soaring murder rate, then you know the country is in trouble.

A country of 30 million people, Venezuela sees 10,000 people murdered on its streets every year. A corrupt police system has been of little help, pushing people to take justice in their own hands and it is said that in recent times, you can get a person killed for as little as $50 (roughly Rs 2000). This despite laws being made stringent to ensure that only police officers can get gun licences.

Its capital Caracas has the highest murder rate among the mega cities of the world. A US State Department travel advisory says: Travel to and from Maiquetia Airport, the international airport serving Caracas can be dangerous. Travellers at the airport have been victims of personal property theft, as well as mugging and 'express kidnapping' in which individuals are taken to make purchases or to withdraw as much money as possible from ATMs, often at gunpoint.

Nice Shot kid

2008-04-08T09:08:00.001-07:00

Inside Dog or Outside Dog?

Google Home Page When It's Started

2008-04-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

Seeing double

2008-04-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

To some she may seem an oddity, but to one Indian couple their newborn daughter is simply a God reincarnated.
Their as yet un-named four-day-old baby girl was born with two faces, two mouths and four eyes in the rural Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, 50km north east of New Delhi.
Her parents, Vinod and Susham Singh from a village called Sani, said their little girl was "a gift from God".

Indian baby born with four eyes, two mouths and two faces

Wisps Surrounding the Horsehead Nebula

2008-04-06T04:15:00.001-07:00

Explanation: The famous Horsehead Nebula in Orion is not alone. A deep exposure shows that the dark familiar shaped indentation, visible just below center, is part of a vast complex of absorbing dust and glowing gas. To bring out details of the Horsehead's pasture, amateur astronomers at the Star Shadow Remote Observatory in New Mexico, USA fixed a small telescope on the region for over seven hours filtering out all but a very specific color of red light emitted by hydrogen. They then added the image to a full color frame taken over three hours. The resulting spectacular picture details an intricate tapestry of gaseous wisps and dust-laden filaments that were created and sculpted over eons by stellar winds and ancient supernovas. The Horsehead Nebula lies 1,500 light years distant towards the constellation of Orion. Two stars from the Orion's Belt can be found in the above image.

Funny Pictures

2008-04-06T04:12:00.001-07:00

New Space Station Robot Asks to be Called "Dextre the Magnificent"

2008-04-01T03:57:00.001-07:00

In a surprising and potentially troubling request, the new space station robot known as Dextre demanded that astronauts refer to it in the future at "Dextre the Magnificent." Brandishing power tools that would make any handyperson blush, the mobile servicing system thanked humans for creating it and promised a glorious future where humans would retain an important role in the new robot order. Happy April Fools Day from the f o l k s at APOD. The classic fable of humans mistakenly creating technological evildoers dates back to Frankenstein and includes famous fictitious villains such as HAL and the Terminator. Dextre, although real, is no Frankenstein, since its computer intelligence is mainly geared toward allowing astronauts to control it remotely. Dextre was deployed last month to help build and service the International Space Station. As seen in the above picture, Dextre is truly a technological marvel, wielding long arms capable of handling both small tools and large modules with precision dexterity.

Search for the largest King Cobra

2008-04-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

The Magnificent Tail of Comet McNaught

2008-03-31T10:23:00.001-07:00

Explanation: Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, has grown a long and filamentary tail. The spectacular tail spreads across the sky and is visible to Southern Hemisphere observers just after sunset. The head of the comet remains quite bright and easily visible to even city observers without any optical aide. The amazing tail is visible on long exposures and even to the unaided eye from a dark location. Reports even have the tail visible just above the horizon after sunset for many northern observers as well. Comet McNaught, estimated at magnitude -2 (minus two), was caught by the comet's discoverer in the above image just after sunset last Friday from Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. Comet McNaught, the brightest comet in decades, is now fading as it moves further into southern skies and away from the Sun and Earth.

The Fastest Eco Boat on the planet!

2008-03-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

Eco-boat powered by human fat attempts round the world speed record

The fastest eco boat on the planet will attempt to break the round the world speed record using fuel made from human fat.

Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace, said the attempt to circumnavigate the globe would begin from Valencia in Spain on March 1 next year.

Bethune and his wife mortgaged their house and sold everything they own to help make the project happen, while continuing to seek support from sponsors.

Record breaking attempt: Earthrace will attempt to circumnavigate the globe running 100 per cent biodiesel, and with a net zero carbon-footprint.

Earthrace is a 78 foot alternative fuel powered wave-piercing trimaran, it can carry 3,000 gallons of fuel, and weighs 23 tonnes when fully fuelled

Demonstrating further commitment to the cause, Bethune underwent liposuction and donated enough to produce 100ml of biofuel, while two other, larger volunteers also had the procedure, making a total of 10 litres of human fat.

This in turn produced seven litres of biofuel, which could help the boat travel about 15km.

Earthrace is fuelled on 100 per cent biodiesel and has a net zero carbon footprint.

The announcement was made at the QE2 pier in Greenwich where Earthrace is being hosted by Greenwich Council until January 1.

Circumnavigating the globe represents the pinnacle of powerboat challenges, and more than 24,000 nautical miles is the world’s longest speed challenge.

Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace, believes the boat can help advance biodiesel as a genuinely viable alternative to petroleum diese

The current record holder is British boat Cable and Wireless Adventurer which took 75 days in 1998.

From the start in Valencia the boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and travel through the Panama and Suez Canals..

From there the boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans as it thunders along the planet’s circumference at a maximum speed of 40 knots.

When it attempts to break the Round the World Speed Record, the goal is to do 20-25 knots (23-29mph) almost continually for 65 days.

The not-for-profit project aims to promote awareness of the environment and the sustainable use of resources.

Inside Earthrace: The not-for-profit project aims to promote awareness of the environment and the sustainable use of resources

Earthrace, which cost about £1.5 million to build, can carry 3,000 gallons of fuel, and weighs 23 tonnes when fully fuelled.

The boat is designed to cut through waves rather than sail over which enables the boat to go faster through big seas compared to conventional craft.

Bethune believes Earthrace can help advance biodiesel as a genuinely viable alternative to petroleum diesel.

He said: “Governments have a role to legislate to make biofuels happen.

Route to success: The boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and travel through the Panama and Suez Canals

“If it were up to market forces, biofuels wouldn’t happen at all.

“Politicians in Western Europe must be prepared to stand up to the oil industry, and be more supportive of the biofuels industry to make sure the production of biofuels is sustainable.”

A successful attempt by Earthrace would mark the first time in history that an official UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique - The International Powerboating Association) Powerboat world record has been broken using only renewable fuel.