Kampala, Uganda | DAVID IRVING | Ben Franklin famously wrote: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. What he didn’t mention, despite being 83 years old, was a third, almost inevitable eventuality: ageing. Depending on when in history and where on the planet you …
Read More »Empire of delusion
Today the Commonwealth exists as an organisation in search of a rationale Kampala, Uganda | MICHAEL WESLEY | Anyone interested in power must visit Persepolis. Its ruins stand defiantly in a parched valley in southern Iran, the ultimate statement of the capacity of humans to dominate vast multitudes of their fellow …
Read More »Living across the front lines in South Sudan
Leer, South Sudan | AFP | Nyakol was 15, healthy and strong when South Sudanese soldiers attacked her hometown of Leer, forcing her to flee with her mother into the surrounding swamps. Not for the first time, government troops tore through the northern rebel stronghold, killing, kidnapping and raping, so …
Read More »Happiness and God
Are religious people happier than non-religious people? Kampala, Uganda | KAYONDO HUBERT NGAMABA | What makes people happy? This question can be difficult to answer. Happiness has been discussed throughout history. Philosophers, thinkers and activists, such as Aristippus, Aristotle, Zhuangzi, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Jeremy Benthan and Bertrand Russell, have considered happiness …
Read More »New take on real-life hijack drama in ‘7 Days in Entebbe’
Berlin, Germany | AFP | The counter-terrorism plot seems more far fetched than many action thrillers, yet “7 Days in Entebbe”, which premiered at the Berlin film festival Monday, depicts a real-life airline hijack drama. The movie recounts what is often called the most audacious hostage rescue mission ever staged, …
Read More »In Kenya, anti-poaching dogs are wildlife’s best friends
Maasai Mara, Kenya | AFP | Five-month-old bloodhound Shakaria gambols through the long savannah grasses of Kenya’s Maasai Mara reserve, her playful mood swiftly turning to keen determination as she is ordered to track a human scent. Straining at the leash, she pulls her handler along an invisible scent path …
Read More »For single Syrian women, search for soulmate comes up empty
Damascus, Syria | AFP | Syrian student Nour wistfully examines her bare ring finger, then scans fellow classmates around her at Damascus University. Amid the sea of women, there’s no eligible single man in sight. At 30, Nour says she is eager to get married — but Syria’s protracted conflict …
Read More »Whether or not to invest in Bitcoin
Whether Or Not a Person Invest In Bitcoin CITIZENSHIP | SPECIAL FEATURE | If any of these below-mentioned scenarios does apply to you, then you should absolutely not be buying bitcoin. It does not matter what cryptocurrency you are thinking about right now; you should not be opting for any of …
Read More »Being a single dad can shorten your life: study
Paris, France | AFP | The risk of dying prematurely more than doubles for single fathers compared to single mothers or paired-up dads, according to a study of Canadian families published Thursday. “Our research highlights that single fathers have higher mortality, and demonstrates the need for public health policies to …
Read More »Couples make Valentine’s Day deposit in ‘Love Bank’
Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia | AFP | In a small medieval Slovak town, couples are getting ready on Valentine’s Day to make a “deposit” about their romance in a place dedicated to love stories. The “Love Bank” is the main attraction of an exhibition commemorating the world’s longest love poem, “Marina” …
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