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A local artist tattoos the back of a foreigner (L) during a tattoo festival at Legian Kuta on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali. An investigation is being launched into an alleged case of an Australian tourist contracting HIV while getting a tattoo on the island.
Indonesia is investigating the case of an Australian who is believed to have been infected with HIV while getting a tattoo on the resort island of Bali, an official said today.
“We received a report about this case from the health ministry yesterday and officials will be visiting tattoo parlours today to verify this claim,” Bali health department chief Nyoman Sutedja said.
“At this point, we are still investigating. We can’t say for sure if the patient caught the virus from getting a tattoo or sexual contact,” he added.
There are currently 4,200 HIV/AIDS cases on Bali, Sutedja said.
Russia, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are home to the wealthiest expats, with Eurozone countries falling behind when it comes to paying for foreign expertise, according to a survey of expats on Wednesday.
The third annual report commissioned by HSBC Bank International found finances among expats were generally positive with two-thirds, or 66 per cent, saying they have more disposable income to save and invest since moving abroad.
But the survey found expats in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore enjoyed the greatest wealth overall, having higher salaries, more disposable income and more luxury items like swimming pools, properties and yachts.
Expats in Russia topped the list for the second consecutive years with a third, or 36 per cent, reporting earnings of over US$250,000 (RM782,000) a year — compared to two-thirds, or 62 per cent, of expats in Spain earning below US$60,000.
HSBC spokeswoman Lisa Wood said the survey, conducted by research company GfK, showed the wealth gap was widening between the east and west, with expats in emerging economies leaving their counterparts in the Eurozone behind.
“The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) economies have fared well over the last year and as a result we’ve seen that these expat locations are particularly strong when it comes to expat finances,” Wood said in a statement.
“Eurozone countries were the worst-performing when looking at purely financial criteria and subsequently all featured in the bottom quartile of our league table.”
Wood added it was not surprising that ongoing volatility in the Eurozone region was a major contributor to this and was driving expats to seek jobs in countries with higher salaries.
The Expat Economic survey, part of HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey of 4,100 expats from 100 countries, ranked 25 countries on scores linked to annual income, monthly disposable income, and a measure of defined luxuries.
When it came to salaries, the survey found that about 13 per cent of expats globally earned US$250,000 a year or more.
Russia topped this table followed by Singapore and Bermuda with 32 per cent and 27 per cent of expats respectively earning this amount.
Mainland Europe took the lowest positions on the table.
While only one quarter, or 26 per cent, of global expats on average earn less than US$60,000, the survey found 62 percent of expats living in Spain earn below that amount, 47 percent of expats in France and the Netherlands, and 45 percent in Germany.
But Wood said this could largely be explained by the high number of expats who choose to retire in mainland Europe.
One in five expats say they are able to pay off debt while working abroad but workers in Britain and Australia are most likely to be accumulating more debt, at 11 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.
The Indonesian government is to vaccinate all dogs on the holiday island of Bali to combat a raging rabies epidemic that has left 76 people dead over two years, an official said yesterday.
Around 34,000 people have been bitten by dogs on the island, which is popular with western tourists, in the first seven months of this year alone, authorities said.
“We aim to vaccinate all dogs in Bali by the end of this year to curb the spread of rabies. We’ll start to mass vaccinate the dogs in late September,” Bali animal husbandry agency chief Putu Sumantra said.
“There are still hundreds of thousand of dogs that have not been vaccinated. About 200 teams will be deployed to work in 700 villages,” he said.
Unlike the rest of mainly Muslim Indonesia, where people do not generally keep dogs, Bali is a predominantly Hindu island and dogs are common either as pets or strays.
Sumantra said that since 2008, about 300,000 dogs had been vaccinated. Tens of thousands of stray dogs had also been culled.
Bali health agency head Nyoman Sutedja said there were 34,000 cases of people being bitten by dogs in Bali this year compared to 28,000 dog bites in the whole of 2009.
“The rising cases of bites have made us worry. We need more anti-rabies vaccines for people here,” Sutedja said.
The latest victim of rabies, a 43-year old Balinese woman, died on Tuesday.
Australia and the US have issued travel warnings to tourists about the prevalence of the disease.
Security personnel inside the mall after it was evacuated when water started gushing out of the aquarium
Emergency crews are seen arriving at Dubai Mall following the incident
Visitors view the huge aquarium in Dubai Mall
Leak: A torrent of water gushes out of the giant Dubai Mall aquarium after a crack opens up in the glass
Part of the vast Dubai Mall has been evacuated after its giant aquarium developed a leak, a police official said today.
The aquarium, one of the largest tanks in the world at 167ft by 66ft, has hundreds of living animals including Sand Tiger sharks and rays.
It is thought to have developed a crack and a witness said people in part of the mall were evacuated and dozens of emergency vehicles were outside. Six divers entered the tank and appeared to be coordinating with workers outside the glass, while workers mopped up water from the floor.
Emaar's chairman Mohammed Alabbar denied there was a leak in the aquarium, saying there was a 'technical fault in the operating device,' according to a statement carried on the country's official news agency WAM. But a witness said water had been leaking from a crack in the aquarium glass.
'I saw a small crack in the aquarium glass and there was a little water coming out and a lot of water on the floor,' said Ranjin, a 27-year old corporate secretary.
'The police came and evacuated the area around the aquarium.'
Dubai Aquarium is planning to have more than 33,000 animals representing more than 85 species in the giant tank.
It also features an underwater zoo which has penguins, seals, crocodiles and water rats among its attractions.
It is operated by Emaar Properties and also features the world's largest acrylic viewing panel.
One million people had already visited the aquarium seven months after it had opened. This is the latest in a string of problems for the aquarium.
Shortly before its opening in October 2008, over ten per cent of the sharks in the tank were been killed in attacks that marred the build-up to its unveiling.
Sand Tiger sharks killed at least 40 smaller reef sharks and were aggressive towards divers working on final preparations in the giant tank.
Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping mall by total area, contains around 600 retailers and had over 37 million visitors in its first year of operation.
It now has an average of 750,000 visitors every week. As well as shops and restaurants, the Mall also contains an ice rink and cinema.
Emaar Properties, the Arab world's largest developer, came under scrutiny earlier this month when it closed the observation deck at Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower and the firm's flagship project, just a month after its fanfare opening.
Three people were killed after a Costa Europa cruise liner collided with the dock in Sharm el-Sheik resort in Egypt
The Costa Europa can be seen tilting after the accident, which is believed to have been caused by fierce winds
The ship was en route to Sharm el-Sheikh from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Safaga
Three British tourists have been injured and three crew members have been killed after a cruise ship carrying 1,473 passengers hit a harbour wall in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The Costa Europa, which is owned by Italian cruise liner company Costa Crociere, suffered damage to its right side after hitting the pier as it docked in the early hours of the morning.
'We sadly have to confirm the death of three crew members,' the company said in a statement. Three British tourists were in a stable condition in hospital, according to officials, and a fourth crew member had also been taken to hospital.
The company said remaining guests had disembarked and were being accommodated in hotels while flights were arranged back to their destinations.
The accident is believed to have been caused by fierce winds. An Indian and a Brazilian were among the crew members killed, said Salah Hashem, an Egyptian official at the harbour.
The nationality of the third is not yet known.
'The ship, Costa Europa, hit the pavement of the harbour earlier this morning causing a big hole in the ship's body... the deaths and injuries occurred due to the strength of the crash,' he said.
The ship, which was en route to Sharm el-Sheikh from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Safaga, was on an 18-day regular cruise from Dubai to Savona in Italy.
Virgin Galactic's bullet-nosed rocket, SpaceShipTwo, coming together in the hangar of Scaled Composites in Mojave, California.
Taking to the skies: Mothership White Knight Two has been doing test runs with SpaceShipOne while SpaceShipTwo was being built
Grand unveiling: SpaceShipTwo will finally be presented to the public after five years of secret construction
Click to enlarge.SpaceShipTwo, slung beneath WhiteKnightTwo, the launch aircraft that will carry Virgin Galactic's spacecraft out of the Earth's atmosphere. The Final Countdown:October 15, 2009: Virgin Galactic’s bullet-nosed rocket, SpaceShipTwo, sits in the hangar of Scaled Composites in Mojave, California, awaiting a paint job before its public debut in December.This undated image provided by Virgin Galactic shows placement of the center beam during SpaceShipTwo's construction inside the Scaled Composites plant at the Mojave Airport in Mojave, Calif. It has been five years since the first privately financed manned spacecraft captured the Ansari X Prize on Oct. 4, 2004, by demonstrating that a reusable rocket capable of carrying passengers could fly more than 62 miles high twice within two weeks. Turning the second part of that dream into reality has taken longer than many expected.
After five years of secret construction, the cloak is coming off a privately funded spacecraft designed to fly well-heeled tourists into space.
The long-awaited glimpse of SpaceShipTwo, slated for rollout Monday in the Mojave Desert, could not come sooner for the scores of wannabe astronauts who have forked over part of their disposable income for the chance to float in zero gravity.
"We've all been patiently waiting to see exactly what the vehicle is going to look like," said Peter Cheney, a 63-year-old potential space tourist from Seattle who was among the first to sign up for suborbital space rides marketed by Virgin Galactic. "It would be nice to see it in the flesh."
Virgin Galactic spokeswoman Jackie McQuillan promised a "theatrical unveil" followed by a cocktail party for paying passengers and other VIPs.
SpaceShipTwo's debut marks the first public appearance of a commercial passenger spacecraft. The project is bankrolled by Virgin Galactic founder, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, who partnered with famed aviation designer Burt Rutan, the brains behind the venture.
SpaceShipTwo is based on Rutan's design of a stubby white prototype called SpaceShipOne. In 2004, SpaceShipOne captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize by becoming the first privately manned craft to reach space.
Since the historic feat, engineers from Rutan's Scaled Composites LLC have been laboring in a Mojave hangar to commercialize the prototype in heavy secrecy.
The last time there was this level of hoopla in the high desert was a little more than a year ago when Branson and Rutan trotted out to great fanfare the twin-fuselage mothership, White Knight Two, that will ferry SpaceShipTwo to launch altitude.
Despite the hype, hard work lies ahead before space journeys could become as routine as air travel.
Flight testing of White Knight Two has been ongoing for the past year. The first SpaceShipTwo test flights are expected to start next year, with full-fledged space launches to its maximum altitude by or in 2011.
It remains unclear when Virgin Galactic customers will receive their astronaut wings, but it will largely depend on how the test program fares. Some 300 clients have paid the $200,000 ticket or placed a deposit, according to the company.
SpaceShipTwo, built from lightweight composite materials and powered by a hybrid rocket motor, is similar to its prototype cousin with three exceptions. It's twice as large, measuring 60 feet long with a roomy cabin about the size of a Falcon 900 executive jet. It also has more windows including overhead portholes. While SpaceShipOne was designed for three people, SpaceShipTwo can carry six passengers and two pilots.
"It's a big and beautiful vehicle," said X Prize founder Peter Diamandis, who has seen SpaceShipTwo during various stages of development.
The ability to view Earth's curvature from space has been limited so far to government astronauts and a handful of wealthy people who have shelled out millions to board Russian rockets to the orbiting international space station.
After SpaceShipOne's history-making flights, many space advocates believed private companies would offer suborbital space joyrides before the end of this decade.
George Washington University space policy scholar John Logsdon called the milestones to date "measured progress."
"They've been appropriately cautious and making sure that every step is done correctly," he said.
Tragedy struck in 2007 when an explosion killed three of Rutan's engineers during a routine test of SpaceShipTwo's propellant system. The accident delayed the engine's development.
Virgin Galactic plans to operate commercial spaceflights out of a taxpayer-funded spaceport in New Mexico that is under construction. The 2 1/2 hour trips — up and down flights without circling the Earth — include about five minutes of weightlessness.
SpaceShipTwo will be carried aloft by White Knight Two and released at 50,000 feet. The craft's rocket engine then burns a combination of nitrous oxide and a rubber-based solid fuel to climb more than 65 miles above the Earth's surface.
After reaching the top of its trajectory, it will fall back into the atmosphere and glide to a landing like a normal airplane. Its descent is controlled by "feathering" its wings to maximize aerodynamic drag.
Virgin Galactic expects to spend more than $400 million for a fleet of five commercial spaceships and launch vehicles.
It's not the only player in the ultra-secretive commercial space race. A handful of entrepreneurs including Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, computer game programmer John Carmack and rocketeer Jeff Greason are building their own suborbital rockets with dreams of flying people out of the atmosphere.
Sir Richard Branson will reveal the Virgin Galactic commercial spacecraft at the Mojave Air and Spaceport tonight, offering a glimpse of the first spaceship designed to carry private passengers.
The unveiling of SpaceShipTwo marks one small step for the future of space tourism, and one giant $200,000 leap for any passenger who wants on board.
Is the journey worth the hefty price tag? Keep reading for more details about this innovative voyage.
Last year, Branson and American designer Burt Rutan revealed the highly anticipated White Knight Two, the mother ship that will carry SpaceShipTwo to its launch altitude.
Tonight, space enthusiasts can feast their eyes on the sleek ship that will actually hold the six passengers and two pilots on their journey into space.
SpaceShipTwo’s cabin is 7.5 feet in diameter by 12 long with a slick, wavy interior reminiscent of an Apple product. More importantly, it’s dotted with several porthole windows to give travelers plenty of opportunities to gaze out into space.
Virgin's SpaceportThe passenger pod isn’t designed to launch from the ground, so the mother ship will carry it to 50,000 feet, at which point SpaceShipTwo will disengage and ignite its own rocket, accelerating to 2,600 mph.
Passengers will officially become space tourists at an altitude of 62.1 miles as they cross the boundary between earth’s upper atmosphere and space. Soon after, at 65 miles high, the private astronauts will experience weightlessness for about six minutes. During this period, they’ll be able to unfasten their seatbelts, float about from porthole to porthole and admire the Earth’s curvature against the backdrop of space, a sight previously reserved only for government astronauts.
At this point, SpaceShipTwo’s wings will “feather out” to optimize resistance, allowing it to fall back through the atmosphere like a shuttlecock. The wings will convert to “glider mode” at an altitude of about 13 miles to take the ship back home. The entire trip from takeoff to landing will last an estimated 2.5 hours.
The next phase for Virgin Galactic is an extensive series of safety tests. Engineers hope to launch the SpaceShipTwo on a test run to its maximum altitude by 2011.
Branson is optimistic that his project will send thousands of people into space in the next few years. According to Virgin Galactic, more than 300 people have already reserved their spots.
Travel specialist group Virtuoso is the official sales channel for Virgin Galactic flights. Currently, there are three deposit options available: Founders, who will be on the first 100 commercial seats; Pioneers, comprised of 350-400 travelers who will fly within the first year of operation; and Voyagers, who will travel at a later date. And no, U.S. citizens do not need a visa to fly into space.
-Iran has arrested three Americans who strayed across the border from Iraq on allegations they illegally entered the country, and a lawmaker said Tuesday that authorities are deciding whether they will be accused of spying.
Officials in northern Iraq's Kurdish region said Sunday that the three — Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal — were tourists who inadvertently crossed into Iran on July 31 while hiking in the region. Friends and family say the three were adventurous travelers who accidentally stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time.
Lawmaker Mohammad Karim Abedi, who heads the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee, said "Surely we can say that they came as spies," he said. "The concerned authorities will decide whether they were spies or not," he added. "If it is proven that they were spies, the necessary legal procedures will be sought against them."He said the Americans had Iraqi and Syria visas.
A general view of Dukan Resort, where three American hikers were last seen, near Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Iranian authorities have given no word on three Americans detained after reportedly wandering across the border with Iraq last week during a hike in the Iraqi Kurdish region.
Unidentified foreign and local tourists are seen at Dukan Resort, where three American hikers were last seen, near Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Iranian authorities have given no word on three Americans detained after reportedly wandering across the border with Iraq last week during a hike in the Iraqi Kurdish region
A general view of Dukan Resort, where three American hikers were last seen, near Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Iranian authorities have given no word on three Americans detained after reportedly wandering across the border with Iraq last week during a hike in the Iraqi Kurdish region.
A general view of Dukan Resort, where three American hikers were last seen, near Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Iranian authorities have given no word on three Americans detained after reportedly wandering across the border with Iraq last week during a hike in the Iraqi Kurdish region.
