Friday, September 24, 2010

The filthy rooms that await the world's athletes

Games of Squalor: A shocking look inside the filthy rooms that await the world's athletes in Delhi

Last updated at 1:36 AM on 24th September 2010
  • New Zealand joins Canada and Scotland in delaying arrival in Delhi
  • Indian Prime Minister convenes crisis meeting on Games
  • Wales team set to decide today whether they will travel to India
  • Advance party of English athletes will arrive in Delhi today
  • Child labourers photographed installing seats at main stadium
Shocking pictures yesterday exposed the filthy state of the accommodation provided for athletes at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The images were revealed just hours before the first wave of the English team flew out to the Indian capital.
They show stained wash basins and showers and dark red marks caused by workmen spitting out chewed betel leaves.
Wash and go? The bathrooms at the Commonwealth Games athletes' village have been exposed as being in a particularly poor state
Filthy: The bathrooms of the Commonwealth Games village are covered in building dust and mud
Mess: A dirty basin, splattered with an unknown substance, in the Commonwealth Games village
Mess: A dirty basin, covered in an unknown substance, in the Commonwealth Games village
Paw effort: Animal footprints can be clearly seen on this bed in the village
Paw effort: Animal footprints can be clearly seen on this bed in the village
Another picture shows urine and rain water on a bathroom floor in the accommodation close to the main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
Paw marks from one of the many wild dogs that roam Delhi’s streets can also be seen marking one of the beds.
Many of the participating nations, including England, Scotland and Wales, have complained that the athlete’s village is not fit for human habitation.
Wash and go? The bathrooms at the Commonwealth Games athletes' village have been exposed as being in a particularly poor state
Wash and go? The bathrooms at the Commonwealth Games athletes' village have been exposed as being in a particularly poor state
Wash and go? The bathrooms at the Commonwealth Games athletes' village have been exposed as being in a particularly poor state
Worry: Several top athletes have already pulled out of the Commonwealth Games

Worry: Several top athletes have already pulled out of the Commonwealth Games

Danger: Exposed cables and huge holes in the building work can be seen in these pictures
Danger: Exposed cables and huge holes in the building work can be seen in these pictures
Danger: Exposed cables and huge holes in the building work can be seen in these pictures

British triple jumper Phillips Idowu has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games
Last minute: Child labourers continue to work on Jawaharlal Stadium in Delhi yesterday
Last minute: British triple jumper Phillips Idowu, left, has decided not to pull out of the Commonwealth Games, while child labourers, right, continue to work on Jawaharlal Stadium in Delhi yesterday
Yesterday there were also fears that the site – which was being heavily guarded by police from the media as well as any terrorist threat – would flood.
 
Monsoon rains have caused the nearby River Yamuna to burst its banks and stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitos which can carry the potentially life-threatening dengue fever.
A family prepares a meal at their temporary shelter where they moved after water levels rose near the Commonwealth Games Village, seen in the background
Workers treat the open water canal to kill mosquitoes near the Commonwealth Games village
Squalor: A family at the temporary shelter where they moved after water levels rose near the Commonwealth Games village, seen in the background, left, while workers treat the open air canal to kill mosquitoes
Health risk: Large areas of open water are attracting mosquitoes and there has already been an outbreak of dengue fever
Health risk: Large areas of open water are attracting mosquitoes and there has already been an outbreak of dengue fever, which is carried by the insects

No-show: Three countries have postponed their arrival at the Games until conditions improve
No-show: Three countries have postponed their arrival at the Games until conditions improve
Labourers check the roof of the weightlifting venue at Jawaharlal Stadium yesterday after part of the ceiling collapsed
Labourers check the roof of the weightlifting venue at Jawaharlal Stadium yesterday after part of the ceiling collapsed
The organisers yesterday drafted in 1,000 extra workers – each being paid no more than £3 a day – in a desperate effort to clear up the mess before the Games’ scheduled start on October 3.
There were concerns that some of the staff that had been drafted in were children.
The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, has seized control of the project and yesterday the federal government ordered the Organising Committee to hand over management of the village.
The Committee also has been criticised over faulty infrastructure – problems that were epitomised when a bridge linking a car park to the stadium collapsed on Tuesday.
Further humiliation came 24 hours later when part of a ceiling in the weight-lifting arena collapsed.
Canadian officials have described the indifference of Indian officials as incomprehensible.
However, polls in Indian newspapers show a vast majority of Indians are ashamed of the fiasco.
England’s advance party, comprising men’s hockey players, lawn bowlers and staff, are due to arrive this morning.
Welsh athletes are due to leave for India tomorrow. But more British athletes may decide to pull out unilaterally.
Yesterday the Scotland team said its first party of 41 would delay their departure.
Race against time: Labourers work to concrete a staircase on a pedestrian bridge outside of the main stadium yesterday
Race against time: Labourers work to concrete a staircase on a pedestrian bridge outside of the main stadium yesterday
Paving the way: Workers lay roads and paths at the main stadium yesterday
Paving the way: Workers lay roads and paths at the main stadium yesterday


Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is valued at $6.9bn

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is valued at $6.9bn in Forbes rich list, jumping above Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch

Last updated at 1:45 AM on 24th September 2010
  • Facebook co-founder, 26, triples fortune to $6.9bn
  • Mark Zuckerberg pledges $100m to Newark schools
  • Bill Gates still the richest with a $54bn fortune
Millions across the world will be thinking the same thing – if only I had thought of that.

But it is 26-year-old Mark Zuckerberg who is reaping the rewards after starting social networking phenomenon Facebook.

The Harvard graduate shot up the list of wealthiest people in America yesterday with an estimated personal wealth of £4.4billion.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is at No35 in the Forbes list and is worth $6.9b
Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs has been overtaken in the Forbes richlist by Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg
$6.9bn fortune: Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg (left) has jumped above rival and Apple CEO Steve Jobs in the latest Forbes magazine rich list

After starting the website as a computing student in 2004, Mr Zuckerberg now ranks 35th above well-known, and much older, heavyweights such as Rupert Murdoch, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs and film director George Lucas.

But while they have been at the top of the annual Forbes 400 list for years, Mr Zuckerberg is the star earner this year after his worth went up by 245 per cent – the biggest gain of anyone on the list.

Like last year, Bill Gates is the richest with a personal fortune of £34.4billion.

Since taking a back seat from the company he has also become one of the most generous people in America, donating more than £17.2billion to charity through his own foundations.
Bill Gates is the richest man in America, for the 17th year in a row
Warren Buffett is the second richest man in America, with a fortune of $45 billion
With a fortune of $54bn, Bill Gates (left) is the richest man in America for the 17th year in a row while investor Warren Buffett is at number two with $45bn
And Mr Zuckerberg has followed the Microsoft founder’s relatively modest approach to life, as Facebook has grown to more than 500 million users, knocking Google off its perch as the top website.

The 26-year-old lives in a humble rented home in Paolo Alto, California and drives a £13,000 car.

Luisa Kroll, Forbes global wealth editor said Facebook was the success story of this year which is still suffering from the fallout of the global recession.
No3: Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is valued at $27 billion
Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz is the youngest dollar billionaire in America
Third in the Forbes list is Oracle CEO Larry Ellison (left) with $27bn, while Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz (right) is the youngest dollar billionaire, worth $1.4bn
‘At a time where there are a lot of the same people on the list and not a lot of new things being created, you do have Facebook,’ she said.

But despite the economic downturn, anyone wanting to get on the list this year must have a personal fortune of at least £638million for the first time since 2008.

The total worth of those on the Forbes 400 rose to £874billion in 2010, up 8 per cent from last year.

AMERICAN TOP 10 RICHEST

  1. Bill Gates, Microsoft, $54billion
  2. Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, $45billion
  3. Larry Ellison, Oracle Corp, $27billion
  4. Christy Walton and family, Wal-Mart, $24billion
  5. Charles Koch, Koch Industries, $21.5 billion
  6. David Koch, Koch Industries, $21.5 billion
  7. Jim Walton, Wal-Mart, $20.1billion
  8. Alice Walton, Wal-Mart, $20billion
  9. S. Robson Walton, $19.7billion
  10. Michael Bloomberg, Bloomberg LP, $18billion
Figures are according to Forbes magazine
Second wealthiest is investor Warren Buffett with a fortune of £28.7billion and in third is Larry Ellison, the founder of computer software company Oracle, with a net worth of £17.2billion.

Mr Zuckerberg followed up the unveiling of the Forbes rich list last night by revealing that he is set to make a £66million donation to help turn around some of America’s worst schools in New Jersey.

He plans to announce the huge gift on The Oprah Winfrey Show today.
But critics say the announcement comes a week before the much-anticipated opening of The Social Network a Hollywood film which reportedly portrays him in an unfavourable light.

The film details the creation of the hugely popular social networking site that has made him one of the youngest billionaires in America.

Much of the Forbes list is made up of technology moguls and investors including George Soros, who is ranked at number 14 with a fortune of £9billion.

The list is also overwhelmingly male with just a sprinkling of women including Walmart heiress Christy Walton who is fourth richest with £15.3billion.

Representing the world of entertainment were Steven Spielberg at number 110 with £1.9billion, and Hollywood’s richest man, media mogul David Geffen who came in at 54 with a net worth of £3.2billion.

Forbes also highlighted a number of ‘billionaires in the making’ including rapper Jay-Z who has a personal fortune of £287million with a spread of business interests and entrepreneurial projects.

A measure of his success is that in 2007 he tied with Elvis Presley for the most number one albums in the U.S. by a solo performer, only to break the record last year.

Now only The Beatles have more number one records with 19 to Jay-Z’s 11.

According to Forbes the list is compiled by research throughout the year involving employees, rivals, attorneys, ex-spouses and securities analysts.

‘We keep track of their moves: the deals they negotiate, the land they’re selling, the paintings they’re buying, the causes they give to,’ said Miss Kroll.
The full Forbes 400 list can be seen at www.forbes.com/Forbes400

Friday, September 17, 2010

Little meets large

Little meets large: World's smallest teenager takes his chances with the planet's biggest biceps


Last updated at 7:58 PM on 9th September 2010

Pint-sized Khagendra Thapa Magar is within reach of becoming the world's shortest man - as long as he doesn't suddenly have a growth spurt in the next two weeks.
At 22 inches, he is currently the shortest teenager on the planet.
But as soon as he turns 18 on October 14, he will be eligible to take on the title of the world's shortest adult male.
Khagendra Thapa Magar
B-army: Body builder Tiny Iron has a bicep span of 24 inches - that's two inches more than the height of the world's smallest teenager Khagendra Thapa Magar
Displaying just how petite he really is, Magar was pictured today in London being held aloft by body builder Tiny Iron.
Spanning 24 inches, the 28-year-old Londoner has the largest biceps in the UK.
The pair were posing together at Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum in London's Piccadilly, to promote the new book Ripley's Enter If You Dare.
Khagendra Thapa Magar
Take that! Weighing just 10lb Magar is an unlikely opponent for 280lb Tiny Iron
This is is just the latest photo call for Magar, who was pictured on tour in New York earlier this week.
He is hoping to snatch the title from Edward Nino Hernandez, a 24-year-old Colombian dancer who measures just 27ins and who was officially recognised by Guinness on Monday.
Nino was 1.5ins shorter than the previous incumbent He Pingping of China, which means Khagendra will have shaved 2.5ins off Pingping's height.
Khagendra Thapa Magar
The long and short of it: The pair were promoting museum Ripley's Believe It Or Not!'s new book
Guinness World Records editor in chief Craig Glenday said: 'The question is, will Nino still have the record by Christmas?
'With Khagendra in the wings, there's a good chance Nino will only hold the title for a few more weeks.'
Edward Nino
Title holder...but not for long: Current world's shortest man Colombian Edward Nino poses with his Guinness World Records certificate at his home in Bogota
If you are curious as to why this little title means such big things to these men, then you only need look at how it transformed Pingping's life when he inherited the title in 2008, lifting him out of a life of poverty and transplanting him to a world of TV shows and international travel.
Magar's family first applied to have him recognised as the World's Shortest Man when he was just 14, but he was refused because of the possibility he could grow before he turned 18.