Attractive women bypassed for jobs

Good looks can kill a woman's chances of snaring jobs considered "masculine," according to a study by the University of Colorado, Reuters reported. Attractive women faced discrimination when they applied for jobs where appearance was not seen as important. These positions included job titles like manager of research and development, director of finance, mechanical engineer and construction supervisor. They were also overlooked for categories like director of security, hardware salesperson, prison guard and tow-truck driver. "In these professions being attractive was highly detrimental to women," researcher Stefanie Johnson said.

Murdoch sells China TV channels

News Corporation, a media group headed by Rupert Murdoch, is to sell control of its three Chinese television channels to the Chinese state-controlled private equity fund China Media Capital (CMC), which is backed by Shanghai Media Group and China Development Bank, both state-owned. CMC will acquire a controlling stake in Xing Kong, Xing Kong International, Channel [V] Mainland China, and its Fortune Start Chinese movie library, News Corp and CMC said. Yahoo! Finance UK reported that the two companies did not announce financial details of the deal, but sources familiar with the situation said News Corp would hold on to close to 50% of the assets.

Moscow death rate doubles

Oppressive heat and waves of toxic smog in Moscow have seen the death rate reach 700 a day, a senior Russian health official said today. The Guardian reported that an acrid cocktail of smoke and pollutants had forced many Muscovites to flee their homes or workplaces in search of air-conditioned malls, cinemas and cafes. Scientists say levels of carbon monoxide peaked at six times the acceptable norm late last week and other toxic particles have clogged the city's air. The federal environmental-monitoring agency has asked factories in Moscow to temporarily cut emissions by up to 40%. Wildfires in Russia have claimed 52 lives and left more than 3,000 people homeless, and more than 550 fires covering 17,000 hectares were still burning across Russia.

Captain Ed, first to walk Amazon

After 4,000 miles, an estimated 50,000 mosquito bites, hundreds of wasp stings and encounters with anacondas and scorpions, Briton Ed Stafford, yesterday completed his record-breaking trek along the path of the Amazon, the Guardian reported. He became the first man known to have walked the entire length of the world's longest river. The 34-year-old former British army captain set out from the south coast of Peru on April 2, 2008. The two-and-a-half year journey, which has cost around £63,000, has been funded by sponsorships from companies and the public. Stafford hoped his feat would raise awareness of the destruction of the rain forest, but said he is "no eco-warrior."

Osama twin Laden

A British surrogate mother who agreed to have Osama Bin Laden's grandchild is expecting twins.

A British surrogate mother who agreed to have Osama Bin Laden's grandchild is expecting twins, the Daily Mail reported. Louise Pollard was given the news during her eight-week scan at a private clinic in Manchester. She had conceived via IVF using the sperm of Bin Laden's 29-year-old son Omar and the eggs of his 54-year-old British wife, Zaina. The couple, who married in 2007, had proved unable to have children together and contacted the 24-year-old Pollard through a surrogacy website. Mrs. Bin Laden left her husband last month and spent time with Pollard. Omar was diagnosed with schizophrenia following weeks of erratic behavior during which he began to hear the voice of his father. The surrogate mother said news of the twins made reconciliation more likely. Omar and Zaina have been speaking every day.

Zhang swims across Xingkai Lake

On Monday Chinese swimmer Zhang Jian successfully completed his record-breaking challenge to swim across Xingkai Lake after 36.5 hours in the water. Considering the unpleasant weather conditions, Zhang made some detours in the voyage that extended his actual distance to 69 km, but even so, his 50 km direct-line mileage still set a new record. Previously in July 2001, Zhang successfully swam across the English Channel, becoming the first Chinese to do so.

Giant glacier cracks in Greenland

Scientists discovered recently that a huge mass of ice four times the size of Manhattan had broken free of Petermann glacier in northwestern Greenland, Discovery News reported. The "ice island" was the largest calving event on the glacier since 1962, and researchers estimated Petermann lost nearly a quarter of its floating ice tongue in one go.

Quake film sets record

Aftershock, a film about the earthquake that devastated Tangshan in 1976, had raked in a record 532 million yuan (US$79.4 million) at the Chinese mainland box office as of last Sunday, Xinhua reported. Directed by Feng Xiaogang, the film has become the highest-grossing Chinese-made movie in less than three weeks after its national premier on July 22. The first Chinese movie released in IMAX format took in 36.2 million yuan on its opening day -- the highest for a mainland movie on its opening day. The film had a budget of 150 million yuan (US$22 million).

Woman faked cancer for cash

A woman in the Toronto area has admitted to faking cancer, running a bogus charity and collecting thousands of dollars, Reuters reported. Ashley Anne Kirilow, 23, began claiming to have cancer from last October on her Facebook page. She shaved her head and eyebrows, plucked her eyelashes and starved herself to look like she was going through chemotherapy, according to the report. She befriended different local groups and recruited volunteers to help her organize events and benefit concerts, and even convinced a cancer awareness organization -- Skate4Cancer -- to fly her to Disney World to fulfill what she said was a dying wish. All told, she raised US$19,400. Recently, she contacted the paper, saying she was sorry for what she had done. She said she was just trying to be noticed and to get her family back together.

(China.org.cn August 10, 2010)