Viewers invited to submit video, text or photo on ‘what links Malaysia and Sweden?'

On Tuesday 7th September, CNN International continues ‘Global Connections', its new programming segment within ‘Connect the World', casting the spotlight on two seemingly distant nations to find unexpected similarities. Each week the network invites guests into the studio to give background information on the two featured countries, and this week's Global Connector is Craig Glenday editor-in-chief of the Guinness Book of Records who will be revealing some fascinating facts.  

Viewers are invited to submit their iReport video, text or photo to www.cnn.com/globalconnections, focussing on their personal experiences or interesting anecdotes that connect the two countries. The best and most interesting submissions will appear in an extended "Global Connections" segment during ‘Connect the World' every Friday for the next seven weeks and on the show website www.cnn.com/globalconnections.

"‘Global Connections' is an interactive show segment that is designed to show that our vast world is a lot smaller than we think and interconnected in a myriad of ways.  We're inviting our audience to give us a personal angle to help reveal unusual links between our two selected countries. We look forward to exploring the intriguing personal parallels our audience is able to draw between the nations we profile each week, whether it's cultural, historical, economic, social or something less conventional", says Mike McCarthy, Vice President of coverage and feature programming, CNN International.

How to contribute to ‘Global Connections'

Viewers can get involved by:

•           uploading a video to CNN's iReport

            http://ireport.cnn.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=324241

•           emailing their ideas to connecttheworld@cnn.com

•           skyping the show via cnn_connecttheworld

•           commenting on the CNN international's Facebook page

•           commenting on the Global Connections blog

•           following the show on Twitter @BeckyCNN and @CNNConnect

In launch week, ‘Global Connections' asks viewers; ‘what links Malaysia and Sweden?'. Tune in to ‘Connect the World' from 0400 Kuala Lumpur time on Tuesday 7th September to see presenter Becky Anderson discuss the next two countries with this week's Global Connector editor-in-chief of Guinness Book of Records, Craig Glenday.

About ‘Connect The World'

Hosted by Becky Anderson, ‘Connect the World', is an hour-long programme which takes viewers on a sweeping journey across continents, beyond headlines and into the stories that are changing our world. For more information visit www.cnn.com/connecttheworld.

Malaysia and Sweden feature as launch countries in

CNN's ‘Global Connections'

  CNN Quiz: How much do you know about Malaysia and Sweden?

Global Connections takes two very different countries and asks the viewers to find the connections. Part of CNN's Connect the World, this week we've picked Malaysia and Sweden. How much do you know about each country and can you make a connection? An online version of the quiz is available at http://http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/09/03/global.connections.quiz/index.html.

*Must include below when running the quiz

(Malaysia and Sweden feature as launch countries in CNN's ‘Global Connections'. Get involved by submitting your video, text or photo of your personal experiences that connect the two countries to www.cnn.com/globalconnections.)

Question 1: What is IKEA's best selling item of furniture?

• BILLY bookcase
• KLIPPAN sofa
• POANG armchair

The Swedish furniture store IKEA has sold over 41 million Billy bookcases since 1979. That's enough bookcases to circle the world twice, covering a distance of 70,000 kilometers. IKEA started trading in 1943 and currently has 317 stores in 38 countries.

Question 2: Which make of car is Malaysian owned and manufactured?

• Bajaj Auto
• Proton
• Thaco

Proton was Malaysia's first car manufacturer, founded in 1983 under the direction of the former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir. The name stands for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional, meaning National Automobile Enterprise.

Question 3: How many islands does Sweden have?

• 1,000
• 5,000
• 8,000

The rocky coastline of Sweden is dotted with around 8,000 islands. There are five main archipelagos on the eastern and the western sides of the country, particularly around Gothenburg and Stockholm.

Question 4: The position of King in Malaysia rotates between how many state royal families?

• Five
• Seven
• Nine

The role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or king, is one of the few elected monarchs in the world. The position is rotated every five years among the nine rulers of the Malay states.

Question 5: Sweden's famous welfare system is known by the Swedes as:

• The home of the people
• The palace of the people
• The home of kings

During the 20th century Sweden built up a social welfare system which includes free schools, child care, health care, pensions, elder care and social services. Known as the world's most generous welfare system, Swedes also pay the world's highest rates of tax.

Question 6: The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were the setting for which action film starting Sean Connery?

• The Rock
• Entrapment
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The Petronas Twin Towers featured in the 1999 film Entrapment, also starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. Although no longer the world's tallest buildings, the towers, which reach a height of 452 meters each, still remain the world's tallest twin buildings.

Question 7: Which anti-fascist magazine did the Swedish author Stieg Larsson found?

• TT
• Searchlight
• Expo

Author the Millennium Trilogy including the best selling novel "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," Stieg Larsson founded the anti-fascist magazine Expo in 1995. He received numerous death threats as editor of the magazine, but ultimately died of a heart attack in 1999.

Question 8: Malaysia is the number one supplier of which rubber product?

• Medical gloves
• Tires
• Condoms

Malaysia is the leading supplier of examination and surgical gloves, satisfying almost 50 percent of the world's demand. It is the world's third largest producer of rubber, exporting to more than 160 countries worldwide.

Question 9: In which year did ABBA win the Eurovision song contest with their hit song "Waterloo"?

• 1973
• 1974
• 1975

ABBA was one of the most successful pop acts to come out of Scandinavia, with their hit single "Waterloo" reaching number one in charts across Europe and the top ten in the U.S.

Question 10: Which country used to be apart of the Malaysian Federation?

• Singapore
• Thailand
• Brunei

Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. Singapore left the federation in 1965 to become an independent nation.

Scores:

9-10: Top score! You're a frequent flying global connector!

7-8: Very good! You're almost a card-carrying global connector.

5-6: Not bad! You're half way to becoming a frequent flying global connector.

3-4: Could do better. Time to brush up your geography and try again!

0-2: Oh dear. Time to get out that atlas and try again!