world news – Face Activities

Breaking world news

March 9, 2017 Alphonse Leave a comment

South Korean president Park Geun-hye forced from office by constitutional court
“Park Geun-hye has become the first democratically elected South Korean president to be forced from office, after the country’s constitutional court upheld a parliamentary vote to impeach her over a corruption and cronyism scandal that could see her face criminal charges…” (The Guardian)

I’m still standing: paddleboarder makes world-first Atlantic crossing
“A South African man has become the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a stand-up paddleboard after completing an epic 4,050-mile voyage alone at sea…” (The Guardian)

American carnage – Fighting the forever war
“In his inaugural address, President Trump described a dark and dismal United States, a country overrun by criminal gangs and drugs, a nation stained with the blood seeping from bullet-ridden corpses left at scenes of “American carnage.” It was more than a little jarring…” (Le Monde diplomatique)

Chinese rock, just another commodity
“Rock faces all the western problems of online distribution in a crowded market; there is also government disapproval and even censorship…” (Le Monde diplomatique)

Barack Obama really wants you to read this letter from an Indian-American woman
“NEW DELHI: When former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle got back recently from a much needed vacation, awaiting them was a letter by an American of Indian origin which the couple now wants everyone to read because they found it exceptionally inspiring…” (The Times of India)

Mumbai’s boy and Bengaluru’s girl are the winners of Oppo Times Fresh Face 2016
“Months of gruelling sessions, tough competitions, and lakhs of votes later, Mumbai’s Aditya Nanda and Bengaluru’s Ria Nalavade were announced as the winners of Oppo Times Fresh Face 2016…” (The Times of India)

Alleged Winelands murderer back in court
“Cape Town – The man accused of killing his wife on a wine estate in Franschhoek in 2010 is expected back in the Paarl Regional court on Friday…” (News24 – South Africa)

Former NWU employee jailed for stealing million
“Johannesburg – A former North West University senior financial officer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing more than R17 million in student loans…” (News24 – South Africa)

Harvard Physicists Just Proposed That Mystery Radio Bursts Are Powering Alien Spaceships
“Of all the unexplained things in our Universe, fast radio bursts are arguably the weirdest. They’re some of the most elusive and explosive signals ever detected in space, and while they last for mere milliseconds, they generate as much energy as 500 million Suns…” (Science Alert)

A 2,600-Year-Old Palace Has Been Discovered Under a Shrine Demolished by ISIS
“In some rare good news for locals of the war-torn city of Mosul in northern Iraq, a 2,600-year-old Assyrian palace has been discovered underneath a shrine that was demolished by ISIS back in 2014, complete with untouched artefacts and marble sculptures…” (Science Alert)
Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Photographer name) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Breaking World News

March 3, 2017 Alphonse Leave a comment

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: ‘Germany is aiding and abetting terrorism’
“Relations between Turkey and Germany have lurched further into crisis after the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accused Berlin of “aiding and abetting” terror in an increasingly acrimonious row over the arrest and incarceration of a German-Turkish journalist in Turkey…” (The Guardian)

Mass grave of babies and children found at Tuam care home in Ireland
“A mass grave containing the remains of babies and children has been discovered at a former Catholic care home in Ireland where it has been alleged up to 800 died, government-appointed investigators said on Friday….” (The Guardian)

Why Europe fails to learn
“As Benjamin Franklin remarked, ‘Experience keeps a dear school, yet fools learn in no other.’ He was brilliant enough to invent the lightning conductor but could not predict the formation of the European Union, where no one learns by experience…” (Le Monde diplomatique)

Financing a basic income
“Socialist presidential candidate Benoît Hamon is wooing French voters with the promise of a basic income for all. The idea has sparked debate across the political spectrum…” (Le Monde diplomatique)

Change of policy? PM Modi will visit Israel, but skip Palestine
“NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel in July, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, will not see him travelling to Palestine, a decision that underscores the “de-hyphenation” of India’s relations with the two West Asian states.
..” (The Times of India)

Army to get self-reliant, autonomous robots soon
“BENGALURU: Robots occupying forward areas with weapons may still be a far-fetched thought, but India doesn’t want to be lagging behind in providing its armed forces up-to-date artificial intelligence (AI) and robots…” (The Times of India)

Human-wildlife conflicts rising, KWS warns
“Conservationists and stakeholders have raised concerns over the increasing cases of human-wildlife conflicts in several parts of Kenya, because of the drought…” (The Standard – Kenya)

Water shortage hits Kisumu as hyacinth rots
“Residents of Kisumu now face water shortage as the water hyacinth which has carpeted Lake Victoria starts to rot, affecting quality…” (The Standard – Kenya)

Forget What You Know, You Actually Can Get Pregnant While Pregnant
“In a disturbing twist that goes against everything we learned in sex education, a recent New York Times Q&A confirmed that it’s actually possible for a woman to get pregnant… while she’s already pregnant…” (Science Alert)

Scientists Explain the Depressing Reason Why Pandas Are Black and White
“With its trademark patches of black and white fur, there’s no mistaking the giant panda for any other bear.

Now scientists have a better idea of why pandas have this distinctive pattern, and it could all come down to the lengths the poor old animal has to go to just to get enough to eat…” (Science Alert)

Breaking news from around the world

February 20, 2017 Alphonse Leave a comment

China orders GPS tracking of every car in troubled region
“Security officials in China’s violence-stricken north-west have ordered residents to install GPS tracking devices in their vehicles so authorities are able to keep permanent tabs on their movements…” (The Guardian)

Revealed: Kim Jong-nam was gripped by fear and paranoia, says friend
“Kim Jong-nam spent his last few years highly paranoid, hiding from the regime run by his dictator half-brother while struggling with a sense of powerlessness over the fate of his homeland, according to people who knew him…” (The Guardian)

British Muslim teacher denied entry to US on school trip
“A British Muslim schoolteacher travelling to New York last week as a member of a school party from south Wales was denied entry to the United States…” (The Guardian)

Shadier side to Trudeau’s sunny ways
“Justin Trudeau looks and sounds progressive, especially now that the world is turning to extreme or restrictive forms of nationalism. But he’s not what he seems…” (Le Monde diplomatique)

The candle revolution
“South Koreans have been demonstrating for more than three months against President Park. Following her suspension in December on corruption charges, they now want far-reaching change…” (Le Monde diplomatique)

No more two-state solution
“After Donald Trump took office, Israel announced the construction of 6,000 new settler homes. Now Trump has warned Binyamin Netanyahu such building ’may not be helpful’ for peace. Israel’s far right demands more than building: it wants to annex the Palestinian territories…” (Le Monde diplomatique)

Jet mid-air scare: 1 pilot slept, other on wrong frequency
“Satellite-based communication prevented the ‘incommunicado’ Jet Airways Mumbai-London flight with 330 passengers on board from getting into more trouble over German skies when it was intercepted by fighter jets+ last Thursday for not responding to air traffic control (ATC) calls. In fact, ‘alert’ crew of another Jet flight just ahead of this one came to the rescue of the out-of-reach crew of the flight from Mumbai (9W 118)…” (The Times of India)

Delhi police teach girls to fight trouble
“Delhi Police on Monday launched Sashakti, an initiative where girls would be trained in easy-to-learn-and-use self-defence techniques across the capital. Delhi Police aims to train over 1 lakh (100,000) girls and women under the programme…”(The Times of India)

Woman thrashes Odhav cop in public for indecent proposal
“In a massive embarrassment for the state police which is responsible for enforcing the recently tightened prohibition laws, assistant sub inspector Amrutji Khatuji of Odhav police station was publicly thrashed for teasing a woman while drunk. The cheering public shamed the ASI and encouraged the harassed woman, a vegetable vendor in Thakkarnagar, to slap the cop and drag him by his uniform on to the road…” (The Times of India)

Photo: By USAF [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons