Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Ahead of the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, here are five key figures on the reclusive Asian country. – 67 percent – The portion of the workforce employed in the agriculture sector, according to the Food …
Read More »Open justice or fair trial? Australia’s gagging of the Pell case
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Cardinal George Pell’s trial and conviction of child sex abuse in Australia was one of the biggest scandals to hit the Catholic Church, but the public was not allowed to know about it for months. A blanket gag order stopped reporters from even mentioning the trial’s …
Read More »Mobile tech is going to the dogs… literally
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Is your dog getting enough exercise? Who will change your cat’s litter box while you are away on holiday? Relax. Mobile entrepreneurs are jumping into the pet industry with smartphone-enabled gadgets that can help care for your four-legged friends, from activity trackers to a litter …
Read More »The man who owns 400 cars
When Rodger Dudding bought an almost-new Jensen FF back in 1968, little did he know that half a century later he would still own it – along with two more, plus more than 400 other classic cars and around 65 motorbikes. He even owns 24 – yes 24 – …
Read More »Romantic emotions on canvas
Dancing Lights for the month of love Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | In Edison Mugalu’s current exhibit titled `Dancing Light’ the motivation is to immortalise the magnificence of light when it appears to be dancing, as if in motion. Mugalu‘s art explores the manner in which light is broadcasted …
Read More »Brexit to cause ‘significant’ harm to Britain’s health service
Paris, France | AFP | Brexit will inflict “significant harm” on Britain’s National Health Service, experts warned on Tuesday, with a no-deal departure from the EU likely to provoke acute shortages of staff and medicines. With little over a month remaining until Britain is due to leave the European Union, there …
Read More »Democracy beyond voting and protests
We should build systems that make us accountable to each other, just as governments account to citizens Project Syndicate | Sasha Fisher | For over a decade now, we have witnessed more elections and, simultaneously, less democracy. According to Bloomberg, elections have been occurring more frequently around the world. Yet …
Read More »North Korea seeks sweet smell of success ahead of summit
Sinuiju, North Korea | AFP | The manager of North Korea’s Sinuiju Cosmetics Factory clenches her fists when asked about a rival plant in Pyongyang, then bumps them together. “We compete,” Kim Hye Yong says firmly. Throughout the plant, masked workers in white overalls, gloves and hairnets operate machines producing shampoos, …
Read More »Crisis, what crisis? Qatari love of luxury going strong
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Abdulla Sager al-Khori has little doubt about the significance of a luxury watch when it comes to fashion — and making a statement — even in the thick of Qatar’s diplomatic crisis. “Because we have the traditional dress the only thing we can use as an …
Read More »Roundup weed killer factor in man’s cancer, US court told
San Francisco, United States | AFP | The weed killer Roundup was a “substantial factor” in the cancer of a US man who developed a lump in his throat after decades of spraying his garden, his lawyer said Monday at the start of the first ever federal trial targeting its manufacturer …
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