Mining magnate Clive Palmer announced on Monday that he will build a high-tech replica of the Titanic and sail it from England to New York by the end of 2016.

The cost is unknown, but according to the 58-year-old native of Australia’s Queensland, the diesel-powered vessel “will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic, but … will have state-of-the-art 21st-century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems.” The ship will have four smoke stacks like its predecessor, but they will be purely decorative in nature.

Titanic II will be built at a Chinese shipyard and will sail on its maiden voyage accompanied by the Chinese navy. Asked whether the new passenger liner could sink, Palmer said: “Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it.”

The original Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, killing 1,514 people. Its passengers included some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as over a thousand emigrants from Europe seeking a new life in North America.

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Australian billionaire promises to build Titanic II by 2016

One of the biggest announcements at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain is Nokia’s 808 PureView, a new smartphone that can safely be called the highest resolution cameraphone ever.

The hefty handset “features a 41 megapixel sensor with high-performance Carl Zeiss optics and new pixel oversampling technology,” which means it can take far better photos than other high-end smartphones.

41MP — that’s more than the megapixel count on the Canon EOS-1DX and Nikon D4 dSLRs…combined. But the real purpose of the PureView isn’t for creating massive photos, but rather downsizing a 41 megapixel. The default mode records only 5-megapixel images by condensing seven pixels into one, but you can turn off that default and get 38-megapixel pictures if you think you can handle the enormous file size.

The PureView can also record full HD video and “CD-like” hi-fi audio using the camera’s Dolby 5.1 sensor. But here’s the catch: it runs Symbian. No price or release date yet announced, though a $600 price tag in May have been mentioned by Gizmodo. Check out the promo video after the jump.

For more info about the Nokia 808 Pure View, read the Finnish mobile giant’s press release here.

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Nokia’s new smartphone shoots 41-megapixel photos

Newt Gingrich wants to conquer the moon, in case you haven’t heard.

Speaking recently to a heavily NASA-populated crowd in Florida, the 68-year-old Republican contender promised to build a permanent U.S. moon base by the end of the decade…if he’s elected president.

A long-time space enthusiast, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives also said he wants to expand exploration of Mars.

“By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American,” Gingrich said.

“We will have commercial near-Earth activities that include science, tourism and manufacturing, because it is in our interest to acquire so much experience in space that we clearly have a capacity that the Chinese and the Russians will never come anywhere close to matching,” he added.

Gingrich’s moon idea isn’t actually as crazy as it sounds, but his critics were swift to attack the practicality of his plan.

“The idea that anybody is going out and talking brand new, very expensive schemes to spend more money at a time when we do not have our fiscal house in order, in my opinion, is playing crass politics,” said former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, another candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

Gingrich is “not being realistic with the people of this country as to the nature and threat of the (fiscal) problem,” Santorum added.

What do you think? Is Gingrich’s moon base idea too far out for America’s budget?

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Gingrich promises ‘permanent U.S. moon base’ if he’s elected

Remember all those North Koreans weeping hysterically over the death of dictator Kim Jong-il? Those who cried, but without conviction, are being sentenced to at least six months in a labor-training camp, according to an online newspaper based in South Korea.

A report from the The Daily NK, which is run by opponents of the North Korean government, states that citizens who did not attend public mourning events or tried to leave the country have also been disciplined.

Furthermore, the source added that people who are accused of circulating rumors criticizing the country’s 3rd generation dynastic system are also being sent to re-education camps or being banished with their families to remote rural areas.

Kim Jong-il died of fatigue during a train ride on December 17. Throughout his reign, Kim was portrayed by most countries as an abusive leader who prioritized building North Korea’s nuclear armament over addressing extreme poverty in the country.

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North Korea reportedly punishing those who didn’t mourn hard enough

Reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died on Saturday at the age of 69, the country’s state television reported on Monday.

Reports said Kim Jong-il suffered a fatal heart attack while riding on a train Saturday morning. The longtime communist leader had been reported ill over the past several months although the real state of his health was never known due to the iron-curtain policy imposed by the hermetic country.

Kim Jong-il had been leader of the communist state since 1994. He took over from his father and the country’s recognized founder, Kim Il-sung. Throughout his reign, Kim Jong-il was portrayed by most countries, especially in the West, as an abusive leader who prioritized building North Korea’s nuclear armament over addressing extreme poverty in the country.

Local media has hailed Kim’s son, Kim Jong-un, as the “Dear Leader’s” “great successor.” Jong-un was introduced as Kim Jong-il’s heir apparent over a year ago, but little is known about the young leader who is reportedly in his late 20s. “All party members, military men and the public should faithfully follow the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un and protect and further strengthen the unified front of the party, military and the public,” state media said in a statement according to BBC.

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North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Dies

Flash floods caused by a tropical storm devastated two major cities and several towns in southern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 450 people dead with many more reported missing.

The Philippine Red Cross has put the death toll in Cagayan de Oro city at 215, while at least 144 have reportedly died in Iligan City, the Philippine Daily Inquirer said. Cagayan de Oro is the capital of the province of Misamis Oriental while Iligan is a highly urbanized city in nearby Lanao del Norte, both in the country’s Mindanao region. The floods came rushing from the mountains to the cities late Friday after raining for around 12 hours, the Associated Press said. Some rivers also overflowed, flooding places that used to be flood-free in the past.

Officials attributed the high death toll to lack of preparation and complacency of most of the victims, who were not used to seeing such heavy floods in their areas. Tropical storm Washi, locally known as “Sendong,” swept into the country this week, dumping heavy rains in its path. Officials said Washi dumped a month’s worth of rain in Mindanao during the 12-hour period prior to the flash floods.

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Storm Slams Southern Philippines, Kills At Least 450

More than 5,000 people have reportedly been killed in a months-long uprising in Syria, the United Nations human rights chief said.

U.N. Rights chief Navi Pillay said in a report to the U.N. Security Council that the figures exclude members of the Syrian military. The death toll largely includes civilians and defectors. Calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad started in March following the successful protests in Egypt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The protests started peacefully but have since turned for the worse with allegations of violent dispersals by al-Assad’s forces.

Most of the violence has occurred in towns outside the capital Damascus, including in the province of Homs, where a pipeline reportedly exploded on Monday. More deaths were reported on Monday, with the activist organization Local Coordination Committees saying that at least 16 people were killed by security forces in Homs and the province of Idlib.

The U.N. Security Council has called for calm in the country, but is restrained from playing a more active role due to opposition from Russia and China.

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U.N. Says Syria Death Toll Has Topped 5,000

Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party was handed a rude wake-up call on Sunday when it lost close to 80 seats in Parliamentary elections that international observers say was fraught with widespread irregularities.

Partial results released Monday showed United Russia maintaining its control of 450-seat State Duma, the country’s Lower House of Congress, with an estimated 238 seats. The victory, however, may be considered a huge disappointment by United Russia leaders as the opposition is expected to gain at least 77 seats. The election debacle comes months before Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attempts to get his old post in March presidential elections. Communist Russia, the biggest opposition party, was expected to win 92 seats. The Communists will likely field party leader Gennady Zyuganov against Putin in next year’s presidential elections.

Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitored the elections, reportedly found various violations of electoral rules that may have given United Russia undue advantage. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also raised concern about the poll fraud allegations, saying that a full investigation should be conducted. However, President Dmitry Medvedev denied all allegations. According to Medvedev, the elections were “fair, honest, and democratic.”

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Putin’s United Russia Party Suffers Poll Defeat

Egyptians began trooping to polling places on Monday as the country started holding its first election since longtime leader Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office in February this year.

The election comes on the backdrop of renewed protests and subsequent violent dispersals allegedly committed by the current military led government. The parliamentary election was generally peaceful on Monday with a reported high voter turn out. Results of the election are expected to loosen the military’s control of the country, which was under Mubarak’s absolute rule for 30 years. Analysts also expect Parliament to start functioning again after being a mere rubber stamp under Mubarak. “Power will be in the hands of the political forces. Real politics will be in the hands of the parliament,” Egyptian political analyst Diaa Rashwan told Reuters.

The relatively peaceful atmosphere since Monday was a complete contrast from the chaotic events over the past few days. There were some reports of irregularity but none of the same poll-rigging accusations that were commonplace during Mubarak’s reign, reports said.

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Egyptians Vote in First Post-Mubarak Election

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh reportedly signed a Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered deal on Wednesday that will end his more than three-decade rule and bring peace to the Middle Eastern country.

According to CNN, the deal, which was signed in Saudi Arabia, will see the 69-year-old ruler turn over power to Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. In return for what Saleh called should be a “peaceful and democratic” transfer of power, the longtime leader will not be prosecuted. “We aspire with confidence to the brothers in Saudi Arabia … to review, help and oversee the implementation of the accord and the operational mechanism,” Saleh said according to Reuters. Also part of the deal was for Saleh to retain the title of president in the next three months, the same period given to the incoming government to hold elections.

The deal with Saleh is seen as key to end the 10-month uprising in the country, although it is still not known how the outgoing president’s allies will react to the development.

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Yemen’s Saleh Signs Deal to Cede Power

Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, has been arrested by militias in the country’s southern desert, as the oil-rich country continues its rebuilding process following decades under the Gaddafi regime.

Saif, a 39-year-old British –educated reformer, did not resist when he was arrested. He was brought to the town of Zintan on Saturday. According to Reuters, Saif hesitated to disembark from the plane that brought him to Zintan for fear of meeting the same fate suffered by his father, who was beaten, shot, and killed when he was captured one month ago. “I’m staying here. They’ll empty their guns into me the second I go out there,” Reuters quoted Saif as saying.

Meanwhile, the revolutionary government’s information minister said Sunday that Saif will be tried in Libya and will not be handed over to the International Criminal Court. Minister Mahmoud Shammam said, according to Time that ”the ICC is just a secondary court, and the people of Libya will not allow Saif al-Islam to be tried outside.”

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Gaddafi’s Son Arrested

Google Music, the search giant’s Android-based online music store, is now available to all users in the United States. The new service features millions of tracks from EMI, Sony Music and Universal but will not have music from Warner.

It’s somehow similar to that of the iTunes, but Google will allow musicians to create their own profiles and upload and sell music through the store, with the search giant taking a 30 per cent commission. Another perk of Google Music is the ability to share songs bought at the Android music shop with circles on Google+, and those people will in turn be able to listen to those tunes in their entirety, for one-time.

Songs range in price from 69 cents to $1.29 but Google is also offering one free track for consumers to download every day to help jump-start the venture.

The California-based company in May began offering movies for rent in the Android Market, with prices starting at $1.99 to stream movies to an Android smartphone or tablet.

PC World has an interesting article to get you started with Google music. Click here to read the post.

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Google Music goes live, letting users share songs via G+

Silvio Berlusconi, who dominated Italian politics for 17 years, has stepped down as Italy’s prime minister.

The 75-year-old tycoon, ranked as the 118th richest man in the world, tendered his resignation Saturday night after the Parliament passed a set of economic austerity measures demanded by European partners to restore confidence in the country, as it struggles to thwart an economic crisis caused by a ballooning public debt.

Berlusconi’s replacement is expected to be former EU Commissioner for Competitiveness Mario Monti. He is likely to be installed next week, following the apparent consent of key blocs of Berlusconi’s center-right coalition.

Berlusconi, the country’s longest serving postwar prime minister, is currently mired in various investigations, including corruption accusations, as well as for his alleged sex parties.

Here’s a video report from Al Jazeera’s Barbara Serra.

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Berlusconi resigns as Italy’s prime minister

Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty on Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the drug-overdose death of Michael Jackson following a six-week trial that enthralled fans of the King of Pop around the world.

Murray was handcuffed and taken into custody following the reading of the verdict. The 58-year-old cardiologist, who could face up to four years in prison, will be sentenced on November 29. He could also lose his medical license.

“This is not a crime involving a mistake of judgment. … This was a crime where the end result was the death of a human being,” Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said in explaining his decision to remand Murray to police custody. “That factor demonstrates rather dramatically that the public should be protected.”

Jackson’s sister LaToya let out a a loud, but short scream after the decision was read out, while other members of the late singer’s family who attended the trial wept. MJ supporters outside the courtroom erupted in cheers and some burst into tears.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009 from a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol, which Murray admitted giving the King of Pop to help him sleep.

Here’s a video report from CNN.

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Michael Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray guilty

Samsung is suddenly the world’s largest smartphone seller, for now anyway, having shipped 27.8 million units between July and September. That gives the South Korean company nearly 24 percent of the global smartphone market, which has been driven by its adoption of Google’s Android mobile operating system.

Samsung has demonstrated that it is possible, at least in the short term, to differentiate and grow by using the Android ecosystem,” said Alex Spektor, an analyst at Strategy Analytics.

Apple comes in second place with 17.1 percent, but it is important to note that the iPhone 4S, the slimmed-down, faster version of the iPhone 4, wasn’t launched until the fourth quarter, so many consumers might have been holding out for that.

Nokia, meanwhile, remains in third place with 16.8 percent market share. However, the Finnish company is still on top of the overall mobile market with a 27.3%, followed by Samsung with 22.6% and LG with 5.4%.

The news that Samsung is noticeably overtaking Apple will likely give the Cupertino-based company cause to redouble its legal efforts. Reports say Steve Jobs had vowed to do everything he could to “destroy” the Android, which he accused of copying the iOS. According to a soon-to-be-released biography about the departed Apple co-founder, Jobs was quoted as saying that “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong.”

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Samsung grabs smartphone sales crown from Apple