10 Best Gifts from Foreign Leaders to Pres. Obama

When President Barack Obama meets with other world leaders, they usually swap gifts, according to the federal Register. Too bad he’s not allowed to keep most of it. The General Services Administration currently mandates that any gift over $350 be turned over to the government. The First Family cannot keep the often-lavish presents, but they are generally not returned to avoid offending the gift-giver. So rather than keeping, the presents are turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration. 

Bronze replica of a sculpture by Edgar Degas, entitled ‘‘Halted Horse’’ from His Excellency Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic.

Gold medal created by the Czech mint featuring an image of President Obama from The Honorable Petr Tulpa, Mayor of Jablonec Nad Nisou, Czech Republic.

Six decorative ceremonial weapons presented in a glass case from His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Decorative gold coin with the inscription ‘‘Benedict XVI Pont Max Anno IV’’ with the profile of Pope Benedict the XVI from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Francesco Basile gold watch from His Excellency Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic.

Large silver vase with images of palm trees and sphinxes from His Excellency Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq.

Five sterling silver cocktail forks from His Excellency and Mrs. Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan

Set of white mother-of-pearl cufflinks with blue sapphires in 18 karat white gold in a box made from shells and leather from Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines.

10″ x 6″ gold vase from His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey.

And the Winner is!

Large gold medallion with the Royal seal in a green leather display box from Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

10 Most Traffic Jam Cities in the World

It may suprise many, but drivers in Brussels, Belgium face the worst traffic jams in the world, according to the annual Traffic Scorecard compiled by traffic and navigation service provider INRIX in Kirkland, Washington. Commuters in the 10 most traffic-jammed cities were found to spend an average 42 hours a year sitting in traffic. What’s more, INRIX estimates that drivers in the U.S. burn 2.9 billion gallons of gas sitting in traffic, wasting more than $121 billion in time and fuel. LINK

No.1 Brussels, Belgium

Drivers in Brussels face the worst traffic jams in the world according to annual Traffic Scorecard compiled by INRIX.

Antwerp, Belgium

The second worst city in the world for traffic jams – Antwerp – is likewise situated in Belgium, a modest-sized European kingdom that's otherwise best known for beer, chocolate, waffles and the Smurfs. 

Los Angeles, USA

An average of 59 hours a year by commuters sitting in traffic in the city of Los Angeles.

Milan, Italy

The fashion capital of the world is also one of the most traffic prone cities according to the INRIX Traffic Scorecard. There are instances last Oct , 2011 banning all traffic from its streets for 10 hours in an attempt to reduce smog.

London, U.K.

 The U.K. places fifth among all European nations in highway headaches.

Paris, France

Traffic jams in Paris can add 10 minutes to a simple 30-minute journey to work and back.

Honolulu, USA

Commuters in Hawaii’s largest city wasting an average of 50 hours a year during peak travel times.

Rotterdam, Netherlands

 Traffic jams, well the area around Rotterdam is an absolute nightmare during rush hours (and even outside of it).

Manchester, UK

Maybe the roads are congested because everyone is going to see Manchester United play football.

No.10 San Francisco, USA

 In late 2010, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority decided to study whether charges would discourage drivers from traveling by car through highly congested areas during peak hours. A decision on implementing such charges has yet to be reached.