Friday, September 5, 2008
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Hackers steal personal data from Monster.com users
Hackers steal personal data from Monster.com users
23 August 2007 1434 hrs (SST) 0634 hrs (GMT)
NEW YORK - Hackers have stolen personal details of hundreds of thousands of users of US jobs website Monster.com, according to Internet security firm Symantec.
A total of 1.6 million entries, including information such as names, postal addresses and telephone numbers were stolen, the firm said.
The hackers used a type of virus known as a Trojan horse to access the information from Monster.com's computer servers, probably using stolen login details belonging to employers, Symantec said.
The Trojan was then programmed to send out personalised emails to monster.com users advertising a bogus job opportunity and asking them to submit bank details.
Similar so-called phishing scams, in which users are asked to submit bank details or other personal details in response to an email posing as a bona fide request, have become commonplace in recent years. - AFP/ra
23 August 2007 1434 hrs (SST) 0634 hrs (GMT)
NEW YORK - Hackers have stolen personal details of hundreds of thousands of users of US jobs website Monster.com, according to Internet security firm Symantec.
A total of 1.6 million entries, including information such as names, postal addresses and telephone numbers were stolen, the firm said.
The hackers used a type of virus known as a Trojan horse to access the information from Monster.com's computer servers, probably using stolen login details belonging to employers, Symantec said.
The Trojan was then programmed to send out personalised emails to monster.com users advertising a bogus job opportunity and asking them to submit bank details.
Similar so-called phishing scams, in which users are asked to submit bank details or other personal details in response to an email posing as a bona fide request, have become commonplace in recent years. - AFP/ra
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Online gamers rehearse real-world epidemics
Online gamers rehearse real-world epidemics
21 August 2007 1028 hrs (SST) 0228 hrs (GMT)
PARIS: A fantasy plague that accidentally ran amok in the Internet's most popular game world, populated by nine million flesh-and-blood players, may help scientists predict the impact of genuine epidemics, according to a study released Tuesday.
Virtual playgrounds such as World of Warcraft, launched in 2004, could soon become testing grounds for the all-too-real battle against bird flu, malaria or some as yet unknown killer virus, one of the authors, Nina Fefferman of Rutgers University in New Jersey, told AFP.
Discussions are underway, she confirmed, with the game's California-based manufacturer, Blizzard, a unit of French media giant Vivendi, on how future updates might yield useful scientific data.
"As technology and biology become more heavily integrated in daily life, this small step towards the interaction of virtual viruses and humans could become highly significant," she said.
The unlikely path to a collaboration between hard science and hard-core gaming began in late 2005, when Blizzard programmers introduced a highly contagious disease -- dubbed "Corrupted Blood" -- into a newly created zone of the game's Byzantine environment.
World of Warcraft is a "multiplayer online role-playing game" in which players -- numbering in the tens, or hundreds of thousands -- use computer-controlled avatars to fight battles, form alliances, and dialogue simultaneously on the Internet.
At first the "patch", as new elements such as the disease are called, worked as expected: experienced players shrugged it off like a bad cold, and weaker ones were left with disabled avatars.
But then things spun out of control. As in reality, some of those carrying the virus slipped back into the virtual world's densely populated cities, rapidly infecting their defenceless inhabitants.
The disease also spread -- much like real influenza or the plague -- via domesticated animals abandoned by players for fear of infecting their avatars, leaving the sickened pets to roam freely.
Programmers tried to set up quarantines, but they were ignored. Finally, they resorted to an option not available in the real world: they shut down the servers and rebooted the system.
"This was the first time that a virtual virus has infected a virtual human being in a manner resembling an actual epidemiological event," said Fefferman, whose co-author, epidemiologist Eric Lofgren from Tufts University in Boston, was playing the game when the plague struck.
The authors had already discussed the possibility of using online gaming to study the spread of disease, and thus immediately recognized the opportunity.
To date, epidemiologists have relied heavily on mathematical simulations to forecast the spread of contagious diseases across large populations.
But crunching numbers has limitations, says Fefferman. "There is no way to model how people will behave" in a pubic crisis, she said.
"How many will run away from a quarantine? Will they become more or less cooperative if they are scared? We simply don't know."
Which is where the virtual netherworlds come into the picture. They can help scientists to "feed appropriate parameters into existing epidemiological models," she said.
Some sceptics have suggested that gamers are more willing to take risks online than in the flesh, and Fefferman acknowledges there is a difference.
But most players have invested a lot of time and energy into strengthening their avatars and forming alliances. For many, psychologists say, their virtual creations have become alter egos.
"We don't mean to suggest that people's reactions in this game would exactly mirror their reactions in real life," she said.
"But I think it is the closest thing we have to something that people really do become emotionally invested in protecting."
The researchers are working on a proposal for a new patch that would be a "compromise between what gamers would most enjoy and what would be most scientifically useful," she said. - AFP/fa
SOURCE FROM CHENNALNEWSASIA
21 August 2007 1028 hrs (SST) 0228 hrs (GMT)
PARIS: A fantasy plague that accidentally ran amok in the Internet's most popular game world, populated by nine million flesh-and-blood players, may help scientists predict the impact of genuine epidemics, according to a study released Tuesday.
Virtual playgrounds such as World of Warcraft, launched in 2004, could soon become testing grounds for the all-too-real battle against bird flu, malaria or some as yet unknown killer virus, one of the authors, Nina Fefferman of Rutgers University in New Jersey, told AFP.
Discussions are underway, she confirmed, with the game's California-based manufacturer, Blizzard, a unit of French media giant Vivendi, on how future updates might yield useful scientific data.
"As technology and biology become more heavily integrated in daily life, this small step towards the interaction of virtual viruses and humans could become highly significant," she said.
The unlikely path to a collaboration between hard science and hard-core gaming began in late 2005, when Blizzard programmers introduced a highly contagious disease -- dubbed "Corrupted Blood" -- into a newly created zone of the game's Byzantine environment.
World of Warcraft is a "multiplayer online role-playing game" in which players -- numbering in the tens, or hundreds of thousands -- use computer-controlled avatars to fight battles, form alliances, and dialogue simultaneously on the Internet.
At first the "patch", as new elements such as the disease are called, worked as expected: experienced players shrugged it off like a bad cold, and weaker ones were left with disabled avatars.
But then things spun out of control. As in reality, some of those carrying the virus slipped back into the virtual world's densely populated cities, rapidly infecting their defenceless inhabitants.
The disease also spread -- much like real influenza or the plague -- via domesticated animals abandoned by players for fear of infecting their avatars, leaving the sickened pets to roam freely.
Programmers tried to set up quarantines, but they were ignored. Finally, they resorted to an option not available in the real world: they shut down the servers and rebooted the system.
"This was the first time that a virtual virus has infected a virtual human being in a manner resembling an actual epidemiological event," said Fefferman, whose co-author, epidemiologist Eric Lofgren from Tufts University in Boston, was playing the game when the plague struck.
The authors had already discussed the possibility of using online gaming to study the spread of disease, and thus immediately recognized the opportunity.
To date, epidemiologists have relied heavily on mathematical simulations to forecast the spread of contagious diseases across large populations.
But crunching numbers has limitations, says Fefferman. "There is no way to model how people will behave" in a pubic crisis, she said.
"How many will run away from a quarantine? Will they become more or less cooperative if they are scared? We simply don't know."
Which is where the virtual netherworlds come into the picture. They can help scientists to "feed appropriate parameters into existing epidemiological models," she said.
Some sceptics have suggested that gamers are more willing to take risks online than in the flesh, and Fefferman acknowledges there is a difference.
But most players have invested a lot of time and energy into strengthening their avatars and forming alliances. For many, psychologists say, their virtual creations have become alter egos.
"We don't mean to suggest that people's reactions in this game would exactly mirror their reactions in real life," she said.
"But I think it is the closest thing we have to something that people really do become emotionally invested in protecting."
The researchers are working on a proposal for a new patch that would be a "compromise between what gamers would most enjoy and what would be most scientifically useful," she said. - AFP/fa
SOURCE FROM CHENNALNEWSASIA
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Researchers create lightweight paper battery
Researchers create lightweight paper battery
Posted: 14 August 2007 0947 hrs
Photos 1 of 1
CHICAGO : US researchers said Monday they have invented a lightweight paper battery that could serve as an enhanced power storage device for the next generation of consumer electronic devices.
The battery produces electricity in the same way as the conventional lithium-ion batteries that power so many of today's gadgets, but all the components have been incorporated into a lightweight, flexible sheet of paper.
An early prototype of the device, just big enough to be held between thumb and forefinger, kicks out 2.5 volts, enough juice to power a small fan, or illuminate a light, and its inventors say the battery can be easily scaled up to provide enough power to run any number of electronic gadgets.
"You can stack one sheet on top of another to boost the power output," said Robert Linhardt, a biology and chemistry professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and a project team member.
"We've already experimented with 10 sheets, but there's nothing to stop you using 500, and they can be rolled, bent or folded into any shape or space you like. There are endless design possibilities."
As manufacturers strive to pack more functionality into smaller and smaller devices, the pressure is on to shrink components as much as possible, but in many cases the battery is still the bulkiest part of any electronic device.
The Rensselaer scientists substituted tiny carbon filaments or nanotubes for the electrodes used in a conventional battery and used an ionic liquid solution as an electrolyte - the two components that conduct electricity.
They used the cellulose or paper as a separator - the third essential component of a battery.
"It's a single, integrated device," said Linhardt. "The components are molecularly attached to each other: the carbon nanotube print is embedded in the paper and the electrolyte is soaked into the paper. The end result is a device that looks, feels, and weighs the same as paper."
The device can function in temperatures of 300 degrees Fahrenheit and down to 100 below zero, and was engineered to function as both a battery and a supercapacitor, a device that charges almost instantaneously and is often used for industrial applications.
Beyond laptop computers, cellphones or digital cameras, the paper batteries would be ideal for use in automobiles, aircraft and even boats because of their light weight, the researchers said.
The device is 90 percent cellulose.
"The paper could also be molded into different shapes, such as a car door, which would enable important new engineering innovations.
The materials used in the prototype are inexpensive but the team is still working on ways to mass produce the paper battery cheaply.
They hope that eventually they can print the paper using a roll-to-roll system similar to how newspapers are printed.
The researchers reported the details of their invention in a paper that appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - AFP/ch
Source From CNA
Posted: 14 August 2007 0947 hrs
Photos 1 of 1
CHICAGO : US researchers said Monday they have invented a lightweight paper battery that could serve as an enhanced power storage device for the next generation of consumer electronic devices.
The battery produces electricity in the same way as the conventional lithium-ion batteries that power so many of today's gadgets, but all the components have been incorporated into a lightweight, flexible sheet of paper.
An early prototype of the device, just big enough to be held between thumb and forefinger, kicks out 2.5 volts, enough juice to power a small fan, or illuminate a light, and its inventors say the battery can be easily scaled up to provide enough power to run any number of electronic gadgets.
"You can stack one sheet on top of another to boost the power output," said Robert Linhardt, a biology and chemistry professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and a project team member.
"We've already experimented with 10 sheets, but there's nothing to stop you using 500, and they can be rolled, bent or folded into any shape or space you like. There are endless design possibilities."
As manufacturers strive to pack more functionality into smaller and smaller devices, the pressure is on to shrink components as much as possible, but in many cases the battery is still the bulkiest part of any electronic device.
The Rensselaer scientists substituted tiny carbon filaments or nanotubes for the electrodes used in a conventional battery and used an ionic liquid solution as an electrolyte - the two components that conduct electricity.
They used the cellulose or paper as a separator - the third essential component of a battery.
"It's a single, integrated device," said Linhardt. "The components are molecularly attached to each other: the carbon nanotube print is embedded in the paper and the electrolyte is soaked into the paper. The end result is a device that looks, feels, and weighs the same as paper."
The device can function in temperatures of 300 degrees Fahrenheit and down to 100 below zero, and was engineered to function as both a battery and a supercapacitor, a device that charges almost instantaneously and is often used for industrial applications.
Beyond laptop computers, cellphones or digital cameras, the paper batteries would be ideal for use in automobiles, aircraft and even boats because of their light weight, the researchers said.
The device is 90 percent cellulose.
"The paper could also be molded into different shapes, such as a car door, which would enable important new engineering innovations.
The materials used in the prototype are inexpensive but the team is still working on ways to mass produce the paper battery cheaply.
They hope that eventually they can print the paper using a roll-to-roll system similar to how newspapers are printed.
The researchers reported the details of their invention in a paper that appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - AFP/ch
Source From CNA
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Russian download site shut down
Tuesday, 3 July 2007, 11:56 GMT 12:56 UK
Russian download site shut down
The controversial Russian music download site allofmp3.com has closed.
The service, which sold songs at a fraction of the cost of other sites, claimed to be the second biggest seller of music downloads after iTunes.
It was the subject of countless lawsuits from UK and US record labels that claimed it violated copyright law.
The site's owners, MediaServices, maintained the site was legal under Russian law and has subsequently set up a new service called mp3Sparks.com.
The closure of the original site has been welcomed by the record industry.
"Allofmp3.com violated copyright law in Russia and internationally by ripping off artists and creators, taking music that it had no right to reproduce and selling it worldwide," said John Kennedy, president of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries (IFPI).
"If this is the end of allofmp3.com, this is good news."
Legal position
The Russian government has come under fierce criticism over its apparent lack of action against allofmp3.com
During talks on Russian membership of the World Trade Organisation in 2006, Susan Schwab, the US Trade Representative, said that the site must be closed before entry.
"The fact that closing down allofmp3.com simply resulted in the opening of a copy cat site by the same company shows that this requires some more fundamental action by the Russian authorities"
Mark Mulligan, JupiterResearch
Numerous lawsuits were also started against the site's owners MediaServices.
In 2006, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Arista Records, Warner Bros, Capitol and UMG recordings.
The record labels said the company was selling songs without permission.
Allofmp3.com maintained it paid royalties to a Russian licensing body and said that it made clear on its website that users should check copyright laws in their own country before using the site.
Similar suits had also been filed by the British Phonographic Industry, on behalf of UK record labels.
Under increased pressure, Moscow finally signed an agreement in October last year to shut down the site.
It is not clear whether its closure is the result of action by Russian authorities.
Copy cats
Users of the site have been unable to log on for the last week, although the Russian version, allofmp3.ru, loads but "is undergoing maintenance".
MediaServices has also launched a new website that seems to offer a very similar service.
Like allofmp3.com, mp3sparks.com warns customers to obey their own government's laws on downloading. It also claims that it is authorised to distribute music and pays license fees.
Mark Mulligan, an analyst at JupiterResearch, wrote on his blog: "The fact that closing down allofmp3.com simply resulted in the opening of a copy cat site by the same company shows that this requires some more fundamental action by the Russian authorities.
"However, it could also be interpreted as cosmetic action by a government that is intent on satisfying WTO accession requirements but less keen on changing Russian new media copyright practices."
Source From BBC
Russian download site shut down
The controversial Russian music download site allofmp3.com has closed.
The service, which sold songs at a fraction of the cost of other sites, claimed to be the second biggest seller of music downloads after iTunes.
It was the subject of countless lawsuits from UK and US record labels that claimed it violated copyright law.
The site's owners, MediaServices, maintained the site was legal under Russian law and has subsequently set up a new service called mp3Sparks.com.
The closure of the original site has been welcomed by the record industry.
"Allofmp3.com violated copyright law in Russia and internationally by ripping off artists and creators, taking music that it had no right to reproduce and selling it worldwide," said John Kennedy, president of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries (IFPI).
"If this is the end of allofmp3.com, this is good news."
Legal position
The Russian government has come under fierce criticism over its apparent lack of action against allofmp3.com
During talks on Russian membership of the World Trade Organisation in 2006, Susan Schwab, the US Trade Representative, said that the site must be closed before entry.
"The fact that closing down allofmp3.com simply resulted in the opening of a copy cat site by the same company shows that this requires some more fundamental action by the Russian authorities"
Mark Mulligan, JupiterResearch
Numerous lawsuits were also started against the site's owners MediaServices.
In 2006, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Arista Records, Warner Bros, Capitol and UMG recordings.
The record labels said the company was selling songs without permission.
Allofmp3.com maintained it paid royalties to a Russian licensing body and said that it made clear on its website that users should check copyright laws in their own country before using the site.
Similar suits had also been filed by the British Phonographic Industry, on behalf of UK record labels.
Under increased pressure, Moscow finally signed an agreement in October last year to shut down the site.
It is not clear whether its closure is the result of action by Russian authorities.
Copy cats
Users of the site have been unable to log on for the last week, although the Russian version, allofmp3.ru, loads but "is undergoing maintenance".
MediaServices has also launched a new website that seems to offer a very similar service.
Like allofmp3.com, mp3sparks.com warns customers to obey their own government's laws on downloading. It also claims that it is authorised to distribute music and pays license fees.
Mark Mulligan, an analyst at JupiterResearch, wrote on his blog: "The fact that closing down allofmp3.com simply resulted in the opening of a copy cat site by the same company shows that this requires some more fundamental action by the Russian authorities.
"However, it could also be interpreted as cosmetic action by a government that is intent on satisfying WTO accession requirements but less keen on changing Russian new media copyright practices."
Source From BBC
Budget airline boss opens door for Asian no-frills hotels
Budget airline boss opens door for Asian no-frills hotels
08 July 2007 1319 hrs (SST) 0519 hrs (GMT)
SINGAPORE : Having conquered Southeast Asian skies with his pioneering budget airline, Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes hopes to repeat the success of his business model with a down-to-earth chain of no-frills hotels.
Despite a chorus of sceptics, Fernandes almost single-handedly brought low-cost flying to the region with AirAsia.
Now he believes his Tune Hotels.Com project can do the same for budget accommodation in a region where cheap has usually equated with shabby and badly managed.
Co-founded by Fernandes, Tune Hotels.Com first opened in downtown Kuala Lumpur in April and has been enjoying an occupancy rate of more than 90 percent from day one, the company says.
Industry watchers say initial demand for the Kuala Lumpur outlet shows Southeast Asia is starved of quality in the sector.
"There are a lot of travellers who are looking for that kind of service," said Ali Mirza, executive director with market research consultancy MarketShare in Singapore.
"So there is a new need in the marketplace for budget hotels," he said, adding "chances are very high" of success.
Analysts believe demand for budget hotels will take off rapidly following the blossoming of the region's low-cost airline sector, led by AirAsia.
Fernandes launched AirAsia in December 2001 with just two aircraft. It now serves domestic and international routes throughout the region, and spawned a number of imitators.
Dennis Melka, director and co-founder of Tune Hotels.Com, said passengers flying the low-cost carriers cannot afford four- and five-star accommodation.
Nightly room rates at Tune Hotels.Com's Kuala Lumpur property start from 2.85 dollars, excluding taxes.
The hotel offers a bed and a hot shower but extras such as soap, towels and air conditioning cost more, much as snacks are served for a fee on AirAsia flights.
Along with the bare-bones service, both the airline and hotel offer an Internet-based reservation system which prices tickets or rooms cheaply if bookings are made in advance.
They also share similar logos. Both are done up in AirAsia's signature colours, with even the exterior of the seven-storey Kuala Lumpur hotel painted in bold red and white.
John Koldowski, director of strategic intelligence with the Pacific Asia Travel Association, believes branded budget hotel lodging will take off in the region.
"It's only a matter of time," said Koldowski, who is based in Bangkok.
"We were surprised with the speed at which the low-cost carriers found the market, or the market found them. I would suggest there will be a parallel," he told AFP.
Even Singapore real estate tycoon Kwek Leng Beng, whose Hong Leong Group owns and manages luxurious hotels globally, wants a piece of the budget hotel sector.
City e-Solutions (CES), a hospitality business that is part of Kwek's Hong Leong Group, is one of three partners in a 50-million US dollar venture to expand Tune Hotels.Com in Southeast Asia.
The plan is to open 30 hotels under the Tune Hotels.Com brand in popular Southeast Asian destinations including Bangkok over the next 24 months.
CES will own 40 percent of the joint venture while Tune Hotels.Com will hold a 20 percent stake. Istithmar PSJC, the investment arm of state-owned Dubai World, will take the remaining 40 percent.
Kwek, Singapore's third richest individual with a net worth of 3.6 billion dollars according to Forbes magazine, sees an under-served hotel segment.
"It's only human nature that you want class, class, class but I have always believed that you should fulfil the needs of customers irrespective of class," Kwek said recently at a media briefing.
"There is a big need here... I believe this model is going to work and work well (and) I will invest further going forward," he said.
French hotel group Accor also plans to grow its economy brands in the region especially in China and India.
"China and India are still short of quality economy and budget hotels," Michael Issenberg, Accor's regional managing director, told AFP.
"While there have been many domestic operators of economy hotels, the sector has suffered from lack of reliability and consistency.
"That's what the Ibis brand is bringing to China and what Ibis and Formule 1 are bringing to India, a consistent product backed by an international operator."
India, for example, is estimated to need up to 80,000 economy-style rooms by 2010 to meet projected demand, said Issenberg.
Based in Paris, Accor operates in almost 100 countries and manages hotels from the luxurious Sofitel brand to the budget Formule 1 and Motel 6 labels.
- AFP/ir
Source From CNN
08 July 2007 1319 hrs (SST) 0519 hrs (GMT)
SINGAPORE : Having conquered Southeast Asian skies with his pioneering budget airline, Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes hopes to repeat the success of his business model with a down-to-earth chain of no-frills hotels.
Despite a chorus of sceptics, Fernandes almost single-handedly brought low-cost flying to the region with AirAsia.
Now he believes his Tune Hotels.Com project can do the same for budget accommodation in a region where cheap has usually equated with shabby and badly managed.
Co-founded by Fernandes, Tune Hotels.Com first opened in downtown Kuala Lumpur in April and has been enjoying an occupancy rate of more than 90 percent from day one, the company says.
Industry watchers say initial demand for the Kuala Lumpur outlet shows Southeast Asia is starved of quality in the sector.
"There are a lot of travellers who are looking for that kind of service," said Ali Mirza, executive director with market research consultancy MarketShare in Singapore.
"So there is a new need in the marketplace for budget hotels," he said, adding "chances are very high" of success.
Analysts believe demand for budget hotels will take off rapidly following the blossoming of the region's low-cost airline sector, led by AirAsia.
Fernandes launched AirAsia in December 2001 with just two aircraft. It now serves domestic and international routes throughout the region, and spawned a number of imitators.
Dennis Melka, director and co-founder of Tune Hotels.Com, said passengers flying the low-cost carriers cannot afford four- and five-star accommodation.
Nightly room rates at Tune Hotels.Com's Kuala Lumpur property start from 2.85 dollars, excluding taxes.
The hotel offers a bed and a hot shower but extras such as soap, towels and air conditioning cost more, much as snacks are served for a fee on AirAsia flights.
Along with the bare-bones service, both the airline and hotel offer an Internet-based reservation system which prices tickets or rooms cheaply if bookings are made in advance.
They also share similar logos. Both are done up in AirAsia's signature colours, with even the exterior of the seven-storey Kuala Lumpur hotel painted in bold red and white.
John Koldowski, director of strategic intelligence with the Pacific Asia Travel Association, believes branded budget hotel lodging will take off in the region.
"It's only a matter of time," said Koldowski, who is based in Bangkok.
"We were surprised with the speed at which the low-cost carriers found the market, or the market found them. I would suggest there will be a parallel," he told AFP.
Even Singapore real estate tycoon Kwek Leng Beng, whose Hong Leong Group owns and manages luxurious hotels globally, wants a piece of the budget hotel sector.
City e-Solutions (CES), a hospitality business that is part of Kwek's Hong Leong Group, is one of three partners in a 50-million US dollar venture to expand Tune Hotels.Com in Southeast Asia.
The plan is to open 30 hotels under the Tune Hotels.Com brand in popular Southeast Asian destinations including Bangkok over the next 24 months.
CES will own 40 percent of the joint venture while Tune Hotels.Com will hold a 20 percent stake. Istithmar PSJC, the investment arm of state-owned Dubai World, will take the remaining 40 percent.
Kwek, Singapore's third richest individual with a net worth of 3.6 billion dollars according to Forbes magazine, sees an under-served hotel segment.
"It's only human nature that you want class, class, class but I have always believed that you should fulfil the needs of customers irrespective of class," Kwek said recently at a media briefing.
"There is a big need here... I believe this model is going to work and work well (and) I will invest further going forward," he said.
French hotel group Accor also plans to grow its economy brands in the region especially in China and India.
"China and India are still short of quality economy and budget hotels," Michael Issenberg, Accor's regional managing director, told AFP.
"While there have been many domestic operators of economy hotels, the sector has suffered from lack of reliability and consistency.
"That's what the Ibis brand is bringing to China and what Ibis and Formule 1 are bringing to India, a consistent product backed by an international operator."
India, for example, is estimated to need up to 80,000 economy-style rooms by 2010 to meet projected demand, said Issenberg.
Based in Paris, Accor operates in almost 100 countries and manages hotels from the luxurious Sofitel brand to the budget Formule 1 and Motel 6 labels.
- AFP/ir
Source From CNN
China 'buried smog death finding'
China 'buried smog death finding'
The World Bank is alleged to have cut from a report research that suggests pollution causes hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually in China.
The move followed pressure from Beijing, which believes the material is too sensitive and could lead to social unrest, said the UK's Financial Times.
It said information was cut from the forthcoming report after requests from two Chinese government departments.
The World Bank told the BBC the final version had not yet been finalised.
But a statement added: "[A preliminary] version of the report did not include some of the issues that are still under discussion."
The Financial Times said the Bank report, entitled 'Cost of Pollution in China', found up to 760,000 people die prematurely each year in China because of air and water pollution.
High levels of air pollution in China's cities leads to 350,000-400,000 premature deaths, it said. Another 300,000 die because of poor-quality air indoors.
The newspaper article, quoting World Bank advisers and Chinese officials, also said research showing that there are 60,000 premature deaths each year because of poor-quality water was also left out of the report.
'Social unrest'
"The World Bank was told that it could not publish this information. It was too sensitive and could cause social unrest," one adviser to the study told the Financial Times.
It said the bank "reluctantly" agreed to take out the sensitive information.
The World Bank told the BBC that information for the report, which is being compiled in conjunction with the Chinese government, was still under review.
CHINA'S EMISSIONS
Between 1994 and 2004, China's greenhouse gas emissions grew by 4% a year
China currently depends on coal to meet two-thirds of its energy needs
It hopes to raise its use of renewable energy from 7% to 10% by 2010
China may overtake the US as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases by the end of this year
A World Bank spokeswoman refused to say whether or not statistics about premature deaths were amongst the information taken out of the initial version.
Despite the apparent dispute over figures, the preliminary World Bank report published in March suggests air and water pollution do lead to an increased number of deaths in China.
It also says the total cost of air and water pollution in the country amounts to about 5.8% of gross domestic product.
According to the Financial Times, China's State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) and its health ministry asked the World Bank to cut out the reference to the specific number of pollution-related deaths.
The BBC could not reach anyone at Sepa to comment on the issue.
But the government department is certainly aware of China's pollution problems. Last month it said about 60% of Chinese cities regularly suffer from air pollution and have no centralised sewage treatment facilities.
The final World Bank report is due to be released soon.
The organisation has previously said that China is home to 16 of the world's 20 most-polluted cities.
Source From BBC
The World Bank is alleged to have cut from a report research that suggests pollution causes hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually in China.
The move followed pressure from Beijing, which believes the material is too sensitive and could lead to social unrest, said the UK's Financial Times.
It said information was cut from the forthcoming report after requests from two Chinese government departments.
The World Bank told the BBC the final version had not yet been finalised.
But a statement added: "[A preliminary] version of the report did not include some of the issues that are still under discussion."
The Financial Times said the Bank report, entitled 'Cost of Pollution in China', found up to 760,000 people die prematurely each year in China because of air and water pollution.
High levels of air pollution in China's cities leads to 350,000-400,000 premature deaths, it said. Another 300,000 die because of poor-quality air indoors.
The newspaper article, quoting World Bank advisers and Chinese officials, also said research showing that there are 60,000 premature deaths each year because of poor-quality water was also left out of the report.
'Social unrest'
"The World Bank was told that it could not publish this information. It was too sensitive and could cause social unrest," one adviser to the study told the Financial Times.
It said the bank "reluctantly" agreed to take out the sensitive information.
The World Bank told the BBC that information for the report, which is being compiled in conjunction with the Chinese government, was still under review.
CHINA'S EMISSIONS
Between 1994 and 2004, China's greenhouse gas emissions grew by 4% a year
China currently depends on coal to meet two-thirds of its energy needs
It hopes to raise its use of renewable energy from 7% to 10% by 2010
China may overtake the US as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases by the end of this year
A World Bank spokeswoman refused to say whether or not statistics about premature deaths were amongst the information taken out of the initial version.
Despite the apparent dispute over figures, the preliminary World Bank report published in March suggests air and water pollution do lead to an increased number of deaths in China.
It also says the total cost of air and water pollution in the country amounts to about 5.8% of gross domestic product.
According to the Financial Times, China's State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) and its health ministry asked the World Bank to cut out the reference to the specific number of pollution-related deaths.
The BBC could not reach anyone at Sepa to comment on the issue.
But the government department is certainly aware of China's pollution problems. Last month it said about 60% of Chinese cities regularly suffer from air pollution and have no centralised sewage treatment facilities.
The final World Bank report is due to be released soon.
The organisation has previously said that China is home to 16 of the world's 20 most-polluted cities.
Source From BBC
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