ALTHOUGH Republicans have a doctrine of non-intervention in world affairs, modern day GOP President’s seem to have had a penchant for fighting wars in far distant lands, from Bush senior in Kuwait to Bush jnr. in Iraq. Arguably the most isolationist leader in modern day history, Donald Trump still gives the impression that he thinks his CV would look better with a war under his belt, something he appears...
International
OUTSIDE of Tokyo and one or two other major cities, mass tourism is something the Japanese took part in rather than experienced for themselves until recently. However, as the world shrinks and tourists look for something different from sun, sea and sangria, Japan is seeing a year on year increase in foreign visitors - and not all the locals like it. The famous dunes in Tottori which are attracting...
SHERPA Kami Rita completed his 24th ascent of Mount Everest on Tuesday, a new record and, incredibly, his second trip to the summit in just a week. 49-year-old Rita has been working as a guide for 25 years and is vocal in letting people know the importance of Sherpa’s role in helping less experienced - or even highly experienced - climbers achieve their dreams. He told the BBC “Sherpas fix ropes all...
THE problem of how to dispose of human remains has always been a sensitive one, with culture, religious beliefs, superstition and pure squeamishness all playing a part in the process around the world. One thing is for sure, it is something that will happen to us all one day, with Washington set to become the first US state to legalise a relatively new form of dispatch - human composting. As the name...
ONE of the hottest stories on social media this week concerned a student who ate free at KFC every day for a year by pretending to be from the fast food chains head office. The cheeky scammer was travelling around South Africa, wearing a suit and arriving in a chauffeur driven limousine which was piloted by a friend who is actually a chauffeur - borrowing the vehicle of course. He had knocked up some form...
THE US is a country where the Christian evangelical right are holding increasing sway on legislation, with probably the most graphic example being this week’s banning of abortion in Alabama. Never the most progressive of the US states, lawmakers in the Deep South region passed the law by 25 votes to six, not even allowing exemptions for rape or incest. Asked if a 12 year old girl who was raped by a...
SCIENTISTS have confirmed the discovery of a new species of dinosaur, a close cousin of the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex. However unlike the huge “Jurassic Park” stars the newly named Suskittyrannus hazelae, which means “coyote tyrant”, is only about three feet tall (less than a metre) and would have weighed about 90 pounds (40kgs). In contrast its larger relative would have been about 40 feet...
THE aviation industry is going through a difficult period, as one of Boeing’s line of aircraft remains grounded following two separate crashes that killed hundreds earlier this year. The latest fatal crash does not, thankfully for Boeing, involve one of their planes, but the circumstances will not help any nervous flyers out there. An Aeroflot SSJ100 burst into flames on a Moscow runway last Sunday when...
1972 was the year that eleven Israeli athletes were killed in a terror attack at the Munich Olympics, that the Watergate scandal which would eventually bring down President Nixon first came to light, and when the average price of a house in the UK was £7,374. It was also the year that college student Pamela Milam was murdered in Terre Haute (Indiana) a crime that was unresolved until this week, almost 47...
FRANCE’S President Macron has made a pledge to reconstruct the severe fire damaged Notre-Dame Cathedral, 48 hours after the blaze that threatened to completely destroy one of the world’s most iconic landmarks. The ambitious target means that, if achieved, it will be rebuilt in time for 2024 when Paris hosts the Summer Olympics and the eyes of the world will be on the city. Standing in front of the...