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Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — Basketball great Michael Jordan will make a record-breaking $10 million donation to the Make-A-Wish foundation to mark his 60th birthday later this week, a statement said on Wednesday. Jordan’s donation to Make-A-Wish — which aims to fulfill the wishes of children aged between 2-18 battling critical illness – is the largest in the Arizona-based nonprofit’s 43-year history. The six-time NBA championship winner has had a long association with the […]
Peru (AFP) — The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, Peru’s tourist jewel, reopened to visitors on Wednesday, 25 days after it closed due to demonstrations that have shaken the country since last December. The first groups of tourists could be seen entering the archaeological park early in the morning, taking advantage of an unusually sunny day as they toured the different sites and sacred temples that make up the “llaqta” (“citadel” in Quechua). Some 700 […]
by Michel COMTE / Mathiew LEISER Agence France-Presse Ottawa, Canada (AFP) — The Canadian capital’s iconic Rideau Canal Skateway — the largest outdoor rink in the world and a UNESCO heritage site — may not open this winter for the first time in five decades, due to a lack of ice. Ottawa is in the grips of its third-warmest winter ever recorded, according to Environment Canada, with temperatures hovering just below freezing through most of […]
by Ahmad Parhizi and Jerome Rivet Agence France-Presse Tehran, Iran (AFP) — Western tourists, who flocked to Iran just a few years ago, are being advised by their governments to stay away, forcing the Islamic republic’s struggling tourism industry to look elsewhere. Hoping for better days, tourism professionals are wooing visitors from countries like China and Russia which maintain good ties with Iran. Westerners have long been attracted to Iran’s many ancient and Islamic sites, […]
by Jonah Mandel Agence France-Presse Tel Aviv, Israel (AFP) — Behind a dark and opaque storefront in Tel Aviv, an Israeli company is speeding up online shopping by replacing staff with robots that manoeuvre around small storerooms. Whirring along a rail between two long shelves packed with coffee capsules, a robot stopped, pivoted to the right, shone a light before grabbing an item and dropping it into a paper bag. “Shoppers want to receive their […]
United Nations, United States (AFP) — The UN Secretary-General warned Tuesday that global warming could force a mass exodus “on a biblical scale” as people flee low-lying communities and called for legal frameworks to be implemented in preparation, especially for refugees. “The danger is especially acute for nearly 900 million people who live in coastal zones at low elevations — that’s one out of ten people on Earth,” Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council. […]
Colombo, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lanka will ban single-use plastics, the government said Tuesday, in a move that follows a series of wild elephant and deer deaths from plastic poisoning. Cabinet spokesman and media minister Bandula Gunawardana said the manufacture or sale of plastic cutlery, cocktail shakers and artificial flowers will be prohibited from June. The move was recommended by a panel appointed 18 months ago to study the impact of plastic waste on […]
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia will send its first ever woman astronaut on a space mission later this year, the latest move by the kingdom to revamp its ultra-conservative image. Rayyana Barnawi will join fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. Barnawi and Al-Qarni will fly to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of a mission […]
Mexico City, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico on Monday paid tribute to a military rescue dog that died while searching for survivors buried under the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey. Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval announced the death of the German shepherd called Proteo at President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s daily news conference. “You accomplished your mission… thank you for your heroic work,” the military said on Twitter. Proteo was one of more than a […]
by Benoit NOEL Agence France-Presse Malmedy, Belgium (AFP) — In a land with no mountains and scarcely ever any snow, ski craftsmanship might not seem a priority. But Pierre Gerondal has put the limits of Belgium’s geography and climate aside and carved out a respected place in the industry. His durable made-to-measure wooden skis have attained a peak of quality and are climbing towards the summit of success. Gerondal’s workshop in Malmedy lies in Belgium’s […]
Amsterdam, Netherlands | AFP | by Jan HENNOP A blockbuster exhibition of paintings by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer opened in Amsterdam on Friday, boasting the largest gathering of his works in one place. Classics such as “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “The Milkmaid” are among the 28 masterpieces on display, with galleries and private collections from the United States to Japan lending their prized works. The unprecedented exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, which runs […]
by Cat BARTON Agence France-Presse Seoul, South Korea (AFP) — K-pop stars BTS drink it. It appears in K-dramas. Fans are so dedicated to consuming it year-round they’ve coined a new South Korean proverb: “Even if I freeze to death, iced Americano!” The humble coffee — shots of espresso served over ice, topped up with water — has become South Korea’s unofficial national drink, outselling its hot counterpart even during the depths of winter, Starbucks […]
